Zootopia: Firefalls
by Bluelighthouse
Summary: The long-awaited continuation of Zootopia: Firewatch. The June fire is over. Now it's up to the forest and the Parks Department to recover from the devastation. But while Nick and Judy look to their future, someone from Nick's past arrives...
1. Chapter 1

-Rising from the ashes-

Standing atop the crest of a black covered hill Judy's bright purple eyes scanned the scorched land that seemed to go on for miles.

Her colorful green button-up shirt and sun-bleached jeans looked odd surrounded by the blackened and ash-covered landscape.

Try as she might Judy couldn't help but let out a saddened sigh as she remembered just how bright and vibrant the forests used to be. Now though it was just a scene of carnage.

Judy's thoughts were interrupted by a large yet gentle paw that rested on her shoulder. The gray doe reached up and put her own paw upon the canines and let out another sigh.

"It will be alright boss," Delta said softly as he gave Judy's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "The forest has always come back after a fire. This will be no different."

"I hope your right," The bunny said softly as her ears raised up. The ranger spoke the truth. This had not been the first fire in the forest. Far from it actually. There had been many fires through the years. Judy had been witness to some of them. She was always surprised just how resilient the forest could be as it would begin to heal on it's on over time.

Of course, none of the fires had been this bad. The June fire had really taken it's toll on the forest and had consumed thousands of acres of woods. The initial reports had suggested that the parks department had lost a pawful of towers and resources as well. It wasn't until the fires had finally been extinguished that the parks department could send in teams to inspect the damage.

Since Judy had recently been promoted to a full-blown Parks Supervisor she had mammals beneath her she could send. That wasn't her style though as she wanted to see the damage for herself. Now, however, she was wondering if it had been a good idea.

Judy was grateful she wasn't alone in this trek. Though she would have loved if another certain someone could join her she also understood that it was important for her safety that a more experienced ranger accompanied her. Delta had happily volunteered to be Judy's escort through the fire scorched forest. Together the pair managed to make some great headway and would soon be making contact with a research team that had been sent a few days prior. Judy was hoping the team would have some good news when it came to the damage caused by the fire. Of course, Judy had always been the optimistic type of mammal, this time though things were different.

"Remember the last big one," Delta said as he began to stroll down the ash-covered path. His paws were wrapped up tightly so his fur wouldn't become covered in the burnt bits of forest, this caused his tracks to look odd compared to the paw marks that would normally be left behind.

"Which one?" Judy asked as she checked her own feet wraps and then continued down the path after her ranger escort.

"The one over at Snow Top," Delta said as he looked back at Judy with a smile.

"Oh gosh that one was a bad one," Judy said, remembering the images of the once bright green mountain in the northern region of the park suddenly burst into a massive fireball.

"Yep," Delta said as he reached out and helped Judy over a burnt log. The bunny took the canine's paw and carefully hoped over the obstacle. "And now look, we have that zip line camp every summer."

The painted dog had a point. Every fire that had occurred wasn't the end of the forest. The woods recovered and so did the parks department. They would always rebuild and come back from the worst that nature threw at them.

"Or the Crystal River fire?" Judy said as she remembered another event from several years back.

"Oh yeah, speaking of, when are they bringing back the white water rafting?" Delta asked with a smirk as the pair continued onward.

"No idea," Judy said with a sigh. "Last time I talked with Superintendent Flo it sounded like they plan to suspend a lot of activities. At least until he have a grasp on the damage from the June fire."

"Worst comes to worst we can have Trisha teach the classes," Delta teased.

Judy let out a snort at the thought of the small brown bunny sitting on a raft throwing pinecones at other mammals to get them to row faster was rather amusing.

"Speaking of which," Delta began with a wicked smile. "Isn't today Day 1?"

Judy's eyes brightened at the question and she nodded eagerly. The bunny reached for a brand new walkie-talkie from her belt and began to fumble with the knobs. The device looked like it was fresh out of the box, bright, clean, pristine. It was a top of the line model that was rare even for the parks department. According to the box, it had some serious range to it. Judy had spent a whole months salary on the new pair of walkies. It would be worth it in the long run, especially when she had to be so far away from a certain someone.

"Take a breather," Delta said as he nodded towards a smooth boulder just off the path. "I'm gonna do some scouting around, be back in a bit."

Judy smiled at the painted dog who gave her a wink. Delta had always managed to pick up on the little tells from Judy and had a feeling she could use some quiet time on the radio. The gray bunny skipped over to the boulder and made herself comfortable as she keyed her microphone.

Miles away in a dimly lit cabin a certain fox was suddenly roused from his slumber. Nick kept his eyes closed as he stretched and let out a yawn. He felt a weight on his chest and smirked. He had to admit he never knew how he managed to sleep before he met Judy. Feeling the small bunny curled up on his chest as she slept was so calming to the fox. He had never taken himself as a cuddler but around the small gray bunny he just couldn't resist curling up and feeling her fur against his.

Nick reached out and ran a paw over a soft ear that twitched slightly in his grasp. He smirked as he let out another yawn. His eyes fluttered open for just a second but it felt like such a bother that he decided to just keep them closed and enjoy the moment. The sun was still rising in the sky but thanks to the heavy blinds on the cabin windows only a few rays of light managed to penetrate the bedroom.

"Come in Two forks," Came a voice over the walkie-talkie next to Nick's bedside. Nick grumbled as he realized it was his walkie that had woken from his sleep. He let out a soft groan as he wondered what Judy needed. Didn't she know that she was currently sleeping on his chest?

"Mmm..so how long am I gonna be Two Forks?" Nick asked as he keyed the mic on his walkie.

"Until Trisha says I can call you Ranger Nick," Judy shot back with a giggle.

"Well shouldn't be long," Nick said softly. "I plan to ace anything that blue-eyed monster throws my way."

"Including pinecones?"

"Oh yeah," Nick chuckled as he ran his paw over Judy's ears. "I have been practicing."

"Well then your next few weeks should be a breeze," Judy giggled over the frequency. "I hope to be back soon so I can see you in that uniform."

"Where are you?" Nick mumbled.

"Delta and I are on our way to meet up with a conservation team in the river region to see how the waterways faired. Hope to have a full report of the June fire damage soon so we know what we need to get the forest on the path to recovery."

It was at this moment Nick suddenly tensed up, his paw stopping mid-stroke down what he had thought was Judy's ears.

"Wait…" Nick said as the fog in his mind began to clear and he suddenly remembered that Judy wasn't actually in the cabin with him.

They had had this conversation earlier that week. Judy would be out in the forest gathering information on the damage the June fire had done. She wouldn't be back for at least a week.

 _Then whose ears are these?!_

"If your there," Nick began as he felt a nervous shiver go down his spine. "Who the heck is here?"

"Oh that must be your wake up call," Judy chuckled over the radio with a bit of a mischievous tone. "I pulled some strings and arranged for someone to come and make sure you weren't late on your first day of training."

Nick didn't want to open his eyes. He just wanted to fall back asleep. Anything would be better than the alternative. His curiosity got the better of him though and he slowly opened his eyes. As he looked down he gazed into a pair of bright blue eyes that had a rather pleased look about them. Nick noticed how his paw still gripped a dark brown ear and he quickly let it go.

"Awwww…but it felt so good," Trisha said with a flirty smirk.

Nick remained frozen as the brown bunny climbed up and sat down on the fox's stomach. She then scooped the walkie from the stunned fox's paw and keyed up the mic.

"Two things," the bunny began as she smiled down at the frightened predator.

"What's up?" Judy responded, sounding completely unphased that Trisha's voice now filled the frequency.

"He is a super heavy sleeper," Trisha said with a smirk as she reached behind her. Nick's eyes widened in fear as the brown bunny began to toss a pinecone up and down in the air.

"How long were you here?!" Nick asked as his eyes went to the pinecone and then to the ranger sitting on top of him.

"Not important," Trisha said as she stuck her tongue out.

"He also snores," Judy shot back over the radio.

"He is also super good at ear rubs," Trisha said playfully.

"Oh gosh yes," Judy's voice gushed from the walkie. "Wait….how would you know?!"

"You said to make sure he was awake. I was just waiting for the right moment," Trisha teased.

"You just sat on top of him and waited didn't you?" Judy's voice came out in a monotone.

"Yup," Trisha giggled.

"Oh gosh.." Judy began and Nick prepared to hear Trisha berated which would probably get him in trouble as well. "Trisha I love you."

"Oh I know it," Trisha shot back. "Now say good morning to your fox so I can drag him off and mold him into the perfect ranger."

Trisha then held the walkie to Nick's muzzle.

"Good morning Nick," Judy said sweetly over the radio. "Have fun on your first day. I will contact you later."

Trisha then squeezed the walkie and turned on the microphone in the device. Nick's eyes widened as he stared at the walkie as if it were a lifeboat.

"Help me…" he pleaded as his eyes darted up to Trisha and then back to the walkie.

"If she gets too bad just lay down and play dead," Judy teased. "She should get bored eventually"

With that Trisha set the walkie down on the nightstand and grinned evilly down at Nick who felt very vulnerable suddenly as he tried to pull the sheets over his face.

"What was that about a blue-eyed monster?"

"Pinecone?" Nick said meekly.

"Oh don't try and sweet talk yourself out of this Wilde," Trisha said as she leaned down and reached out. "Time to get dressed ranger, we got learning to do." Trisha then reached out and pressed a digit to Nick's nose.

-Day 1, Ranger Training-

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers!**

 **It's been a while.**

 **Glad to be back.**

 **So today is the one year anniversary of my first AU _Zootopia: Firewatch_. What better time to release the sequel? Am I right? If you stumbled upon this story and haven't read Firewatch please take a minute or two to go check out that crazy story, trust me, it will be far more enjoyable to know what happened last time. **

**I have been receiving tons of messages about a sequel for Firewatch. It's been amazing! Seriously I have the best fans! Thank you all for the support for the last story. I really hope I write a new story worthy of such praise. This is gonna be an interesting one that's for sure. I mean there is no Firewatch 2 video game so this story is all up to me I guess. I do have some fun plans coming up.**

 **Special thanks to the amazing and talented artist _Red Velvet Panda_. She helped put together this last minute cover picture because I am terrible with dates and thought I had more time. Of course, she is probably gonna say that she didn't do much and just put a title on an image. Seriously Red! This came out awesome and it is a temp pic. I love it! Hope you all do too. I have seen what she has planned for the full cover and OMG...its amazing! Wait till you all see it. In the meantime go check out her work and tell her how amazing she is.**

 **Also, thanks to my bud _Fox in the hen house_ for help with the synopsis and the words of advice while I prepared to take another leap back into this story. **

**Alright so first A/N is turning into a novel already.**

 **Hope you enjoy this sequel!**

 **Pinecone (yes that is still a thing)**

 **-Blue**


	2. Truck Talks

-Truck Talks-

"No its ok Nick, really. It's not like we had to use thousands of gallons of water to put out a fire recently," Trisha shouted from the bed as she crossed her legs and began to fiddle with her phone.

Nick meanwhile chuckled as he let the warm water wash over his fur. After the surprise wake up call he had been told to get ready. Not that he needed much prompting from the brown bunny who had let herself into the cabin. The fox had hurried into the bathroom and hopped into the shower. He had only been in there for a few minutes before the impatient doe began to pester him from the other room.

As the water poured down his body Nick closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. The memories from the past few days began to come flooding back.

-Several days earlier-

Nick was standing in a well-lit hallway inside the local lodge. The massive wooden structure was probably one of the largest resorts Nick had seen outside of Zootopia. It boasted many rooms that could accommodate mammals of any size imaginable. There were restaurants, a bar, and of course many cozy little spots where mammals could just sit inside and relax as they took in views of the local valley.

The resort itself was owned by the Parks Department as a form of revenue. At the moment it was really the only form of income for the department thanks to the loss of so much in the June fire.

Nick took in a deep breath as he looked at a mural that was painted on one of the walls of the small waiting area he currently found himself in. The mural had trees of epic proportions rising up from the soil and into the sky. Of course, they weren't the main focus of the picture. A black and blue steam train was crossing a bridge towards a series of mountains. A plaque beside the mural explained the significance of the train and the parks department.

Before Nick managed to read the brief history he detected movement behind him.

A lovely looking raccoon in a business suit approached Nick and gave him a polite nod. The smile on her face was a welcome sight to the fox who had to admit he was somewhat nervous for this interview.

He had to get this job. If he didn't then…well, there wasn't much point in worrying about that at the moment.

"They are ready for you in room 113 Mr. Wilde," The raccoon said softly.

The raccoon was actually a form of receptionist for the conference center. Nick had checked in with her upon his arrival at which point he had been told to wait till his interviewers were ready. Nick normally liked to have more knowledge before going into a meeting like this. He didn't even know the mammals that would be present. He had tried to get info out of Judy but she was pretty useless when it came to this as she would simply put her lips to Nick's and distract him with one of her wonderful kisses.

Trisha had been equally unhelpful. Not that she was running around and kissing the fox though. No, the brown bunny found her own ways of keeping her lips shut. One of her preferred methods was throwing objects at the fox till he got the hint she wasn't telling him anything.

"Any last minute tips?" Nick asked with a hesitant smile.

Once again the mammals that called the parks home showed how they did not see Nick as a sly fox but someone in need. The raccoon gave Nick a friendly smile and stepped forward. She reached up and straightened Nick's tie and then brushed the dust from the shoulders of his suit.

Nick didn't know why but he felt slightly calmer thanks to this strangers assistance, small as it was.

"Remain calm Mr. Wilde. Remember you got this interview because they think they want you here. Simply remind them that they do and the rest will fall into place." The raccoon said with a smile. "And if all else fails…" The receptionist glanced to either side before looking back at the fox. "I get off at 5."

Nick felt his ears flick slightly and he couldn't help but smirk.

"Thanks but I am taken," Nick said happily.

"See that," The raccoon said with her own confident smirk.

"What?"

"How the world didn't come crashing down?" The raccoon said with a wink, her teal eyes showing a slight confidence in them. "If you get turned down it's not the end of the world. Just brush it off and make a new plan."

Nick stood there for a moment and processed what had just happened. He thought the raccoon had just asked him out but as it turned out it was a form of life lesson.

 _Did….did I just get hustled?_

Nick was still running over what had just happened when he entered conference room 113. He pushed the thoughts from his mind and focused on the now. The first thing he had to do was assess his situation. To do that he needed to try and read the mammals at the interview. He liked to think he was rather good at reading mammals and could even predict what they would say next.

 _Except for that raccoon. She is good…maybe a former street hustler._

Once inside the small conference room, Nick took a moment to look at the three mammals sitting on one end of the large wooden table. He couldn't help but freeze when he looked at them.

"Welcome Mr. Wilde," Judy said with a smirk as she looked up at her fox. She was dressed in her new parks supervisor uniform. It was a light green button up shirt with the parks patches on her arm. A tree in a shield was on the front, Nick recognized it as the Park Departments unofficial logo.

"Please odd stranger who we have never met before, have a seat," Trisha joined in. The brown doe was in her standard ranger outfit. Her dark green hat sat on the table before her.

"I am going to apologize in advance Mr. Wilde," An arctic fox between the two smiling bunnies began. Nick guessed this was one of his future bosses. She wore a long-sleeved version of Trisha's outfit but her hat was absent. Her dark blue eyes looked directly into Nick's emerald ones. Her smile seemed genuine and when she reached out to give Nick's paw a shake he felt some strength behind her. He had a feeling that she was a tough but friendly kind of leader. Time, of course, would tell. "My name is Skye Winters. I am part of the Ranger's leadership. I handle all day to day operations when it comes to the Rangers." She then took a moment to look on either side of her at the two smiling bunnies. Judy's gaze never left Nick while Trisha smiled up at her boss with a mischievous grin. "We normally require a representative from the Parks leadership along with a frontline ranger…these two managed to guilt trip their way into this interview."

"I wonder why," Nick said with a smirk towards Judy. His view of his lovely doe was somewhat obscured by Trisha who literally climbed up onto the table and crawled in front of Judy. Waving at Nick the whole while.

A white-furred paw found its way onto Trisha's head as Skye pushed the playful doe back to her seat.

"You already know these two so don't have to apologize for them right?" Skye asked.

 _Ok, starting to like Skye._

The interview was actually a lot more fun than Nick thought it would be. For the most part, they kept things rather casual. Skye dropped the Mr. Wilde and she refused to let him call her by her last name.

They looked over Nick's resume which was a little embarrassing at first. Nick's job history was somewhat…absent. After all, what was he supposed to put? Professional hustler? What about Pawpsicle seller?

In the end, he had gone with: Consultant.

While Skye had been slightly skeptical about all this she admitted that one of their best rangers was given the job on a chance a while back. Skye explained while it is important to make sure they hire the most qualified candidates there are rare occasions when it's important to take a gamble and give a mammal a chance to prove themselves.

"Thought I got in because of my good looks," Trisha said as she looked over at Skye. The brown bunny playfully assuming Skye had been referring to her.

"I wasn't talking about you," Skye grumbled, keeping her eyes on Nick and trying to ignore the brown nuisance next to her. This became incredibly hard as Trisha reached over and began to tug at Skye's sleeve.

"Who is it?"

Skye remained silent but her eyelid began to twitch.

"Skye….Skye….Skye….Skye…"

"Anyways," Judy began, trying to get the interview back on topic. "Mr. Wilde.."

"Please, call me Nick," Nick said as he gave Judy a wink. The doe blushed and she had to look away for a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Skye, is it Delta?" Trisha asked on the other side of the table. "Is it because he couldn't make up his mind and just put every color he could find on his fur?"

"Focus!" Skye finally managed to get out which silenced the other three mammals in the room. The white fox closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She then looked up at Nick as her smile returned. "Sorry, but I think we need to ask you at least a few questions relevant to the position before we let Trisha start terrorizing you."

"Think you meant training boss," Trisha said sweetly.

"I know what I said," Skye shot back without breaking eye contact with Nick.

The rest of the interview was just as chaotic, no matter how hard any of them tried to stay professional.

Judy asked Nick a few basic interview questions. Like what were his strengths? What were his weaknesses? How did he solve problems?

The real kicker came when Judy asked, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

Nick remained silent and just stared at Judy. The longer he stared the more she began to blush till she eventually had to put a folder in front of her face as she couldn't look at Nick and his handsome smirk. The two had talked about their relationship after the June fire. Nick applying to become a parks ranger told Judy that he was in this for the long haul and wanted to spend his days with her. In 5 years time who knew what could happen?

"So are they always this dorky?" Skye asked as she leaned over towards Trisha.

"Yes," Trisha snorted. "Which is why he would make an amazing ranger."

"You realize we have other requirements then just being dorky right?"

"Gosh Skye, don't ruin the mood you dork!"

-Present day-

"So once you are FINALLY DRESSED!" Trisha shouted from her seat inside Nick's room as she waited for the fox to finish getting ready in the bathroom. "We can get going for some breakfast, no way am I dealing with you on an empty stomach."

"Looking good takes time," Nick said as he finished getting ready. The fox opened the bathroom door and stepped out in his firewatch apparel. A dark green long sleeved shirt and some hiking pants which had been rolled up slightly. He had been told his uniform came later so, for now, he was to wear something he wouldn't mind getting sweaty in.

"You need more time," Trisha shot back as she looked the fox up and down.

"Oh haha," Nick grumbled as he closed the bathroom door.

The pair exited Nick's cabin a minute later. Trisha strolling over towards Nick's orange rusted pickup truck. As an employee of the parks service, Nick was offered a place to stay which the parks department would provide in exchange for a doc in his pay. Nick had done the math and realized it was kind of a steal so he took the parks department up on their offer and was now a resident of what was called "Camp Curry." Judy however called it Camp Cuddly because Nick was there. He had earned a slap on the arm after making a few gagging noises from that one.

Nick watched in mild amusement as Trisha hopped into the passenger seat of Nick's truck and made herself comfortable.

"Oh no I insist, I will drive," Nick grumbled as he fumbled for his keys and hopped into the driver's seat. Trisha was fiddling with her cellphone as the fox got comfortable and started his truck up.

As the engine rumbled to life Nick couldn't help but give the steering wheel a little rub. This truck had been through a lot and it still had a lot of life in it. The fox looked over at the ranger next to him and smirked. Trisha's paws hurried over the screen of her phone and her mouth hung open slightly as she lost herself in thought. Nick cleared his throat which caused the does ears to suddenly perk up as she came back into reality.

"Oh sorry there Nick," the bunny said with a smile as she buckled up. "It's so rare to be within cell range that I gotta enjoy it while I can."

"Not exactly something I am looking forward to losing," Nick admitted. He had grown used to having cell service as well. While out in the forest as a firewatcher there hadn't been any service and because of that, he didn't have much to do. Well besides fall head over paw for a certain purple eyed firewatcher.

"Oh, pu-lease.." Trisha snorted as she waved her paw around. "Like you are ever going back out into the woods again without her."

"What?"

"Rank has its perks, Nick. Plus you are most likely gonna be assigned to the main visitor region for a bit. There is a pay differential for those rangers out in the woods. It pays more so normally those spots are covered rather quickly." As Trisha explained some of the ins and outs of the Ranger hierarchy Nick couldn't help but smile.

Part of him had been worried about taking this job and what it could mean for him and Judy. From the sounds of it, there was very little for him to worry about. Sure there would be occasions when they would be apart. Right now for example. For the most part, though he could look forward to a lot more time with Judy.

Nick heard a snapping noise next to him and turned to see Trisha aiming her cellphone at him, a mischevious smirk on her face.

"What was that for?"

"You have a super goofy smile," Trisha said as she scrunched her nose.

Nick was about to speak up before Trisha cut him off.

"Plus Judy said to snag as many pics of you while she is out in the woods with my painted ranger. And what Judy wants.."

"Judy gets," Nick finished the Bunny's sentence.

"Smart fox. We will make a ranger of you yet!" Trisha exclaimed but was silenced as her stomach rumbled. "First though we have to get some grub before the monthly briefing."

"Briefing?"

"we got tons of time. Normally the briefings are done via radio but since you don't have your equipment yet I thought it would be best to take ya to the Rock Pile for our briefing. Plus the bosses are both in a big meeting today discussing budgets…or was it badgers…either way, I was told we don't need to be on frequency until 11 am."

"Is it always like this?" Nick asked, wanting to learn as much as he could about the job.

"Normally briefing is at 9 on the first of every month. Every once and a while they change it up. But they will always contact us before doing that…shouldn't you be driving me to food?"

Nick chuckled as he noticed a slight annoyance in Trisha's tone. He guessed the bunny got cranky when she was hungry and since they would be in a close capacity over the next few days Nick thought it was best to keep her happy.

"Where to?" Nick asked as he put the truck into drive.

"Um, where else? Lynn's!"

Nick laughed at the excitement in Trisha's voice, she sounded like a kit who was told they were about to have cake and ice cream for breakfast. Of course, Nick had no idea what they served at Lynn's so they very well could be having junk food.

Nick pulled the truck out of the small cluster of cabins and down a dirt road which soon turned to pavement. As they drove along Trisha and Nick chatted about little things here and there. Nick enjoying the does company. During the short break between Firewatching and Ranger training, Nick and Trisha had actually grown a lot closer than he thought they would. Nick soon realized that the way Trisha was he didn't have much of a choice, the doe managed to wiggle her way into mammal's lives and stay there. In the end, he was actually grateful for that. He was also grateful for another reason.

"So Judy is just standing there on the edge of this hill that is covered in mud with this look on her face like she is standing over a cliff," Trisha snorted as she recalled one of the many stories that involved a certain gray bunny. "Every time she tries to move she slipped a little and let out this adorable squeak."

"Because she didn't want to fall in the mud?" Nick asked between laughs.

"Exactly. Which is the best part because she already was covered in it from the other part of the obstacle course!"

"Then what was the point?" Nick asked as he followed Trisha's paw when she signaled for him to take a turn up ahead. They were making great time which was saying something since everything was so spread out here in the forest. The one thing that saved them time though was the fact that the roads were practically deserted. Only the occasional dirt covered car would pass them, a casual waved thrown their way by the other drivers.

"I have no idea but she spent like 5 minutes trying to climb this hill and was stuck in this one spot sliding all over the place," Trisha explained, her eyes bright. "I kinda felt bad when I pegged her with that water balloon, she was so close to the top."

"Why did you hit her with a water balloon then?"

"Because she was close to the top and I wanted to see what would happen," Trisha said as if this was the only reasonable response.

Nick chuckled and shook his head as he glanced over at the bunny next to him.

"What did she do to you afterward?"

Trisha wheezed," She couldn't get to me because she got up and tried to not fall in the mud again!"

"Oh Judy," Nick mumbled as he shook his head.

"Next time you talk to her ask her about Mud mountain," Trisha said happily.

Nick reached to his side and scooped up the radio clipped to his belt. He then glanced at Trisha who gasped excitedly and nodded, her ears flailing about as she did so.

"Hey there mudslinger," Nick began and had to do his best to remain calm, "Trisha was telling me about the time you braved Mud mountain."

"Note to self….toss Trisha in a lake," An annoyed response came back over the radio.

Both Trisha and Nick shared a laugh at Judy's expense.

"I am suddenly seeing a problem with leaving you with Trisha," Judy continued over the radio.

"I like story time," Nick responded before looking at Trisha and giving her a wink.

"I got a story for ya," Judy began as she cleared her throat. "There was once a Park Supervisor who made it her sole duty in life to make sure a certain Ranger and her trainee were responsible for teaching all camp courses for the rest of the season."

Trisha let out a groan and looked at the ceiling, "Oh gosh those are so boring."

"That include the CPR courses?" Nick asked over the frequency.

Had he looked over at Trisha he would have seen the bunny snap her head in his direction, a look of admiration on her lovely brown face.

"Ok new plan," Judy began. "Gonna jump into a lake myself so a certain fox practices CPR on me…..and ONLY ME!"

Trisha nudged Nick's arm and nodded to the walkie. He followed the bunny's command and clicked the mic. "You know standard procedure dictates that he trades off after the 2nd set of breaths," Trisha pointed out.

Laughter filled the radio as Judy tried to respond but was apparently enjoying herself too much.

"You ok boss?" Came a voice on the other side of the frequency.

"Sorry, just dealing with the troublemakers back home," Judy explained to Delta as she kept the mic on her end active.

"Awww, my sweet Delta," Trisha mumbled as she looked at the radio as if it were a picture of her own ranger.

"He is a big sweetie," Nick teased as he looked over at the doe.

"Oi! Paws off!"

"What about you little Miss I am gonna give Judy mouth to mouth!?"

"That's different?"

"How?"

"Because I am Trisha and I do what I want," The bunny giggled as she looked ahead. "Make another left up ahead and then it's the first building on the right."

Nick chuckled at Trisha's response and clipped the radio back onto his belt. He followed Trisha's directions and pulled the pick up truck into a small dirt lot in front of a large log structure on the side of the road. A wooden sign hung over the door and read, "Redwood Resturant."

"Thought we were going to a place called Lynn's?" Nicked asked as he looked at the sign.

Trisha was already opening her door but took a moment to look over at Nick, "Everyone calls it Lynn's."

"Really?" Nick asked as he eyed the doe.

Trisha smirked and nodded down at Nick's belt. The fox scooped up his walkie and keyed the mic.

"Trisha is treating me to breakfast, can I get ya anything from the Redwood Resturant?" Nick asked. A small pinecone whizzed by his head, Trisha obviously wasn't planning on paying for the fox.

"Lynn's! Oh my gosh, I am so jealous," Judy responded over the frequency. "Say hi to her for us. You are totally taking me there when I get back from this little hike. Trisha and I eat there like every day when we are in the central valley. Actually…one sec…Hey Delta!"

Judy's end of the transmission cut out for a moment before she returned, "Yeah So I think everyone in the Park's service eats there. So behave yourself."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Nick chuckled.

"I was referring to Trisha."

Trisha snorted as she skipped towards the restaurant.

"I'll try and keep her in line," Nick chuckled. "Oh and Carrots?"

"Yeah, Nick?"

"I bet you look really cute covered in mud."

"Keep talking Two Forks…I ain't gonna be out here for long and when I come back you are gonna be in trouble."

"No I am not," Nick corrected. "I am gonna be in heaven."

"So sweet….but still in trouble."

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers!**

 **So I released this fic roughly a week ago. My inbox exploded with alerts and notifications as I received tons of follows, favorites, and reviews!**

 **Everyone, I can't thank you enough for this kind of outpouring of support! I mean this story is already over 150 follows in its first week! What?! I don't know what to say except Thank you so very much! You are all so awesome and it means so very much to me to see this kind of stuff.**

 **I really hope I can write you all a story worthy of such a following!**

 **I fully intend to pour on so much fluff you all get cavities from the sweetness. Just gotta wait for Judy to return from her expedition! In the meantime, Trisha will be whipping Nick into shape.**

 **Pinecone!**

 **-Blue**


	3. Breakfast is for champions

-Breakfast is for champions-

The inside of the Redwood Restaurant reminded Nick of his cabin. All the walls were made of wooden beams that had been cemented and secured together. Of course, it was hard to see any of the walls with all the different pictures and old posters that covered them.

As they strolled up to the hostess stand Nick took a moment to take it all in. He noticed all the pictures in black and white. Their frames chipped and work down from the years of mammals inspecting the images. Nick couldn't help himself as he took a second to examine one of the pictures. In it were two coyotes smiling up at him. They were dressed in what looked like old army apparel. By old, it was very old. The dark uniforms looked like they were from the unification wars. The Coyotes held a flag behind them with a makeshift parks logo.

"Oh gosh-" Was all Nick heard before there was a thud followed by a series of giggles behind him. Nick turned to where Trisha had been wandering and realized the doe was now absent. Something at Nick's feet moved and the fox looked down to see a rather amusing sight.

Trisha was on her back with a big smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around a smaller white doe. The new arrival had a series of large black spots that graced her fur in random areas. Her eyes were closed but her mouth was open in a wide smile as she nuzzled her head into Trisha's chin.

"I missed you I missed you I missed you!" The black and white bun said as she continued to nuzzle into Trisha.

"First off," Trisha began as she squeezed the bunny who was more than happy to lay on top of Trisha. The ranger however squirmed and managed to slowly get up, only to have the smaller bun hold on for dear life as she was lifted from the ground. "I missed you too. Second…we saw each other literally yesterday."

"Yeah but that was like 24 hours ago," The bun said excitedly before finally releasing Trisha from her grasp. The bunny then looked up at Nick and began to shake with excitement. The thing is she just stood there, like a small black and white puffball that shivered as she took Nick in.

Nick raised an eyebrow as he tried to figure out exactly what is going on.

"Hi, I am Nick," Was probably what Nick wanted to say. All he managed to get out though was "Hi, I-" Before the bunny in front of him pounced, using her strong rabbit legs to propel herself through the air like a furry hug missile. Nick felt the wind suddenly forced from his lungs as the smaller mammal made an impact.

"Hi hi hi!" The rabbit exclaimed as she clung to the fox like he was some kind of pillow.

"Nick meet Taconny," Trisha said with a chuckle as she watched the site. The does eyes widened suddenly and she pulled out her cellphone and took a picture of the odd meeting. Nick had his paws forced to either side as the small bunny held onto him with hug strength that was oddly powerful for a mammal her size.

"Eeeeeeee," The doe said as she looked up at Nick with her bright teal eyes.

The bunny was met with an awkward smile as Nick squirmed a little in her grasp and then looked at Trisha for help.

"Best to just let her finish, normally only lasts 30 seconds before something shiny catches her eye," Trisha chuckled.

True to the rangers word the smaller bunny eventually became bored and released her foxy prey. She then hopped down to the floor and smiled at the pair.

"Usual spot?" Taconny asked eagerly as she rolled on the balls of her feet.

Trisha nodded and followed the bouncing ball of energy. Nick couldn't believe there was a bunny out there with more energy than Trisha but apparently, they just flock to the woods.

Nick couldn't help but key up his radio as they made their way through the maze of different sized tables set up for the many different mammals that frequented the small roadside restaurant.

"So just met Taconny," Nick muttered into his radio.

"She is so sweet isn't she?" Judy responded.

"She is a hugger that's for sure," Nick responded. The fox's attention had been back on the walls as they passed more pictures. He didn't realize that the two does in front of him had stopped.

A black spotted paw suddenly waved in front of Nick's face and the fox stopped and looked down to see Taconny trying to reach up towards the walkie.

"Wanna talk to Judy," Taconny mumbled as she stuck out her tongue to the side.

Nick looked at the walkie, to Taconny, and then to Trisha who giggled.

"Best to just let her say hi," Trisha suggested as she folded her arms and watched.

Nick eyed the small bunny in front of him as she began to bounce up and down, trying to get the last few inches she needed in order to reach the walkie-talkie just being held out of reach.

Like an older sibling being forced to share a toy Nick let out a sigh and lowed the walkie-talkie. Instead of taking it from his paws though Taconny put her paws on top of Nick's and squeezed, telling the fox to key the mic. Nick flexed his paws slightly and clicked the microphone.

"Judy! Are you in there?"

"Taco!" Judy responded happily. "Hey, sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm good! Your fox is super tall!"

"I know right? And super handsome right?"

Both Taconny and Trisha looked up at Nick and as one gave a shrug.

Nick gave Trisha a scowl but felt his lips curl as she stuck her tongue out at him. He then realized what Taconny had just said as well. He slowly raised his paw up, expecting Taconny to let go. Instead, the doe held onto the fox's wrist and giggled as she was lifted into the air.

"Judy's fox?" Nick asked as he keyed the mic, "How many mammals you been telling?"

"What? Are you ashamed of me?" Judy shot back playfully.

"Why aren't you Nick's bunny?" Nick teased. He looked ahead of him at Taconny who smiled with a toothy grin as she dangled in the air, the bunny completely unphased that she was just hanging there.

"First off I am," Judy responded with a chuckle. "Second off…these are my forests Two Forks. You are mine."

Nick rolled his eyes though he secretly enjoyed being called Judy's. He let it go for now but made a mental note to pester Judy about this subject later.

The fox slowly lowered Taconny to the ground which caused the doe to pout, apparently, she had been enjoying herself but sadly she had to get back to work.

The three of them finally made it to a table that was just the right size. Trisha scooted into a cushioned booth as Nick sat on a chair across from her. While he would have preferred sharing a meal with Judy Trisha was good company.

"Ahhh!" Came a surprised but happy shout from behind Nick who suddenly felt pressure on his tail. He looked over and his eyes widened as to just how friendly Taconny could be. The bunny having picked up Nick's rather fluffy tail, she wrapped her arms around it and nuzzled into the soft fur as she let out a series of pleased noises.

"Just remember Nick," Trisha began which caught the fox's attention. "Fall back on your training and I will be sending you here for food runs every day."

The threat, though playful, caused the fox to gulp. He finally managed to wrestle his tail away from the overzealous bunny and it took Trisha playfully shooing Taco away for them to finally have some peace and quiet. Nick couldn't help but laugh as he watched the black and white bunny skip away to go help other patrons, a bright smile on her lips the whole time.

"You get used to her," Trisha said sweetly. "Course she has really taken a liking to you."

"What can I say?" Nick asked jokingly. " it's my foxy looks."

"Foxy looks?" Trisha asked as she raised an eyebrow. She then looked over at the walkie-talkies Nick had set on the table. Before Nick could stop her Trisha grabbed the walkie and began to hurriedly call Judy.

"Judy come in! Nick just called himself foxy!"

Nick scrambled and tried to grab the radio from Trisha.

"Yeah he does that," Judy responded. "Think we spent a good 2 days making jokes about his foxiness."

Nick finally managed to get the walkie back and gave the bunny across from him a look. He then dusted the radio off.

"I will have you know that I work hard on my foxy looks."

"Like that tail?" Judy responded in a dreamlike state

"I am more than just a tail and good looks."

"Mmm….tail…."Judy responded which caused Trisha to snort.

"Guess you will just have to stare at Delta's for now."

"Not the same," Judy grumbled. She kept the mic keyed though and seconds later they heard another voice over the radio.

"I heard that!" Delta shouted in the distance. "I like to think I have a very nice tail."

"It is nice Delta," Judy responded. "But it doesn't have the same floof."

Trisha giggled, "Floof…I like that word…floof."

As Trisha examined the menu Nick made one or two more tail jokes to Judy before excusing himself.

"Gotta get back to breakfast at Lynn's. You enjoy your tail, I mean, trail mix."

"Oh, that's cold Two Forks…so cold."

Nick set the walkie down and smiled at Trisha who just shook her head and rolled her eyes. Her smile though told him she was actually enjoying his company. He didn't want to admit it out loud but he was enjoying herself as well.

 _It's nice having a friend..even if she is crazy._

"Well well if it isn't my favorite ranger," Came a sweet voice in front of Nick.

The fox looked up from his menu and was greeted with a friendly smile from an elderly she-wolf. The fur which had started out as jet black was faded in some places. White and gray flecks appeared on the fur. A pair of glasses sat on the predator's nose which completed the old she-wolf look. Nick imagined this is what most sweet grand wolfs looked like and he was right. The wolf wore a lovely looking blouse and slack combo which was wrapped up in a maroon apron with the name _Lynn_ written in yellow letters.

"Morning Lynn," Trisha said happily as she put a paw on top of the wolfs which was currently resting on the does shoulder. "How have you been?"

"Oh you know, same old same old. Fred keeps me busy and that Taconny seems to have taken it upon herself to help my no good husband in that regard."

The wolf gave Trisha a warm smile which told Nick all of this was said in jest.

"So this the new Ranger?" The wolf asked as she looked over at Nick.

"He ain't a ranger yet," Trisha teased as she gave Nick a wink. "Give me a few days though and I will get him there."

"Oh I know you will darling," Lynn said with a smile. "I am Lynn. It's nice to meet you Mr…?"

Nick gave Lynn a handsome as he looked her right in the eyes. "Call me Nick."

"Nick. What a handsome name for a handsome canine."

"Careful now. He already has a pretty big ego."

Lynn chuckled as she looked down at Trisha, "Well then you two should work well together."

"Oi!" Trisha shot back as she looked right up at the wolf. "I resemble that remark."

"You also resemble someone with no manners like my husband," Lynn said as she reached down and pulled the hat from Trisha's head, her ears flopped about for a second before going straight up. Lynn set the hat down on the end of the table and gave Trisha a knowing look, the doe blushed as her ears lowered. Nick didn't realize till after the fact that he should have taken a picture. He had a feeling it was rare to see Trisha like this.

"Sorry Lynn," Trisha mumbled.

Lynn reached down and brushed some of the fur next to Trisha's ear which instantly perked the ranger up.

"No worries darling," The wolf said with a smile. She then scooped a notepad from her apron and looked at the couple. "So the usual?"

Trisha nodded eagerly and set her menu down.

"And for you dear?" Lynn asked as she turned to take Nick's order.

"Just coffee for me thanks," Nick began. "I don't actually eat breakfast."

One could hear a pin drop with how silent the diner suddenly became. It was as if the air itself had been sucked out of the room. Nick's ears flicked as he noticed just how quiet it had suddenly become.

Lynn gave Nick a concerned look as she wrote down the rather short order. What told Nick he had really messed up though was Trisha who was suddenly putting her hat back on and lowering the bill so it covered her face. The way her ears fell behind her back and how she slumped in her seat was all Nick needed to know he had done something wrong.

The wolf took the menus from the table and strolled away. Nick looked around as the waitress left and noticed how several mammals were all staring at him.

"I can't believe you just said that Nick…" Trisha whispered as she put her hat on the table and tried to hide her mouth from the other mammals looking their way.

Nick looked back at Trisha and gave the doe a confused look.

"What? I just don't like breakfast food."

Their table was suddenly covered by the shadow of a large grizzly in a tan and green uniform. Nick looked up and was nearly blinded by the shining gold badge that glistened even in the light of the restaurant.

"Ranger Rose." The grizzly said with a friendly but firm tone.

Trisha didn't look at the grizzly as she simply kept her eyes focused on the placemat in front of her.

"Sheriff," The doe said with embarrassment.

"New recruit?"

Trisha simply nodded.

"So rookie.." The bear began as he turned his attention. "Aint a breakfast mammal?"

Nick let a smug smirk cross his lips. He could tell when someone was trying to intimidate him. He had just never had it over breakfast food.

"Nope, just coffee. Looks like you eat enough breakfast for the two of us though.

"Hmmm," The bear said with a toothy grin.

Trisha slowly put her head on the table before her.

"Gonna have your paws full with this one Rose."

"Yessir," Trisha grumbled from the table.

"Nice meeting you recruit," The grizzly said as he turned and strolled away from the table. "Enjoy your….coffee.."

"So you gonna explain what I did wrong or should I just keep embarrassing you?" Nick asked smugly as he looked over at Trisha.

The brown doe didn't look up as she reached across the table and managed to get Nick's walkie talkies before the fox could react.

"Judy come in.," Trisha grumbled.

"Go ahead, Trish."

"Your fox just told Lynn that he doesn't eat breakfast."

There was silence over the radio before Judy finally responded.

"You're kitting me.."

"Nope," Trisha said as she slowly raised her head and looked at Nick. "Oh, and he said it in front of the sheriff…and let's see who else is here."

Nick watched as Trisha scanned the room. As her bright blue eyes fell on certain mammals she would list them out over the radio.

"Looks like the Fire marshal, postmaster, a few deputies, oh gosh a local council mammal….oh and look," Trisha groaned as she gave an awkward wave to a porcupine who eyed their table with slight contempt. "Judge Quill…"

Nick still didn't understand what the big deal was about not having breakfast. Sometimes he wanted it sometimes he didn't. Apparently, though this was some kind of taboo in the community.

"They all heard?" Judy groaned.

"Yup…" Trisha said as she put her head on the table.

There was a sudden scuffling sound coming from the walkie and soon a familiar voice filled the frequency.

"Put Nick on," Delta said firmly.

Trisha handed over the walkie and Nick looked at it nervously.

"Hi Delta…"

"Ok rookie," Delta said firmly. Hearing he messed up from Trisha was one thing, the tone of Delta's voice though made Nick nervous. "First off you are representing the Parks Department. So you need to know we got some honor on the line here. Second…who skips breakfast? Really dude? You can literally have desert food in the morning and get away with it. In this town, a mammal is judged on what they order for breakfast. One time Skye ordered this fat free yogurt because she wasn't feeling well. Needless to say, we all heard about that for like a week. So here is what you do. You call Lynn back to your table, tell her you will have what I normally have, and eat some breakfast like a goddamn ranger!"

By the time the transmission was done Nick had the walkie stretched out across the table, worried Delta would climb out of it and start berating him.

"But its just breakfast…"Nick said as he looked at Trisha. There was a coughing from across the room and Nick looked over to see a moose in a local firehouse shirt hold a hoof up to his eyes and then point it back at Nick.

Nick raised his paw up and managed to catch Lynn's attention. The wolf strolled over with a happy smile.

"Yes, Nick?"

"I will have what Delta normally has?" Nick said in the form of a question as he looked across at Trisha who nodded quickly.

Nick had thought that Lynn's smile was warm and bright before, now though it was 10 times more friendly.

"Of course Nick, let me go and get that put in for you," Lynn said as she hurried away.

"Disaster averted," Trisha said as she reached up to the walkie in Nick's paw. "Thanks, sweetie."

"Its what I do," Delta came back. "Enjoy your breakfast."

Seconds later Judy's voice filled the radio. "So Two Forks what have we learned?"

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Nick grumbled.

"Good fox."

"Oh and Delta sounds sexy when he is being all Pred in charge," Trisha added.

"I'll second that," Judy teased.

Nick couldn't help himself, "Third!"

When their food finally arrived Nick was a little annoyed with himself knowing he had nearly passed up what looked like an amazing meal.

Delta's normal order was what Nick would have come to expect from the ranger. Country fried beetle steak with gravy, biscuits, eggs, and some toast on the side. It was a somewhat large meal and since Nick was a class size beanth Delta he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to finish it all. Once Lynn poured Nick's coffee and made sure the two were all set she headed off to help other tables.

There was another coughing noise and Nick looked up to see several of the rather important mammals Trisha had listed off earlier all staring at him. Nick wondered what he had done now but was pleasantly surprised when they all raised their glasses in Nick's direction, giving him a kind of salute. The fox raised his own glass and gave them a nod before digging into his breakfast.

Trisha took time during the meal to explain the next set of plans for the pair.

"It's not all bunny cuddling and tail stroking," Trisha teased as she took a moment to enjoy some orange juice.

"Its also about pinecone throwing?" Nick added.

Trisha chuckled and shook her head.

"Once we are done here we are gonna head to the operations building for the Rangers. We call it the Rock Pile and you will see why when we get there. Once we are done with briefing I wanted to take you to the lodge to show you around. Then maybe a few of the visitor trails and such. This week will be all about getting you used to the region you will most likely get assigned to."

Nick couldn't help but smirk at how professional Trisha had become when just a short while before she had been sitting on his stomach threatening him with a pinecone.

"Oh and we are gonna have to lean you down a bit," Trisha said with a friendly smile.

"Rangers have a physical fitness test?"

"No," Trisha said as she sat back in her seat. "I just refuse to let Judy settle for a pudgy fox."

Both of them shared a laugh at Nick's expense. He had to admit he had put on some weight while fire watching. It wasn't exactly big or out of shape, but he had noticed there was more of him to love lately.

Once they were done with breakfast Lynn brought the bill which was quickly scooped up by Trisha. Nick pleading with the doe about paying.

"Think of it as a first day welcome meal," Trisha said sweetly. "If you do feel so bad you can get tomorrow."

"Same place?" Nick asked with a smile.

"Oh you better believe it," Trisha shot back.

Much to the pair's delight Lynn brought them some brown bags and informed them that she had taken the liberty of packing them a lunch for the day. She put a paw on Nick's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Welcome to the Forest Service," Lynn said with a motherly smile.

Nick smiled back up at Lynn and nodded in thanks for both the meals and kind words.

Getting out of the restaurant was a bit of a task. Nick slowing down thanks to a certain black and white doe who refused to release his tail. Claiming it was so fluffy should could just explode. Nick had a feeling that this may actually happen with the amount of energy the small bunny seemed to exude.

It took all of Trisha's strength to finally pry the smaller bunny off Nick's tail. Only to have the bunny wrap her arms and legs around Trisha, causing them to fall to the floor. Nick tried to help but soon found his arm wrapped up in a hug by Taconny. The small bunny squeaking with laughter as she kept the Ranger and her recruit from leaving. Trisha managed to distract Taconny with a small piece of candy that had been sitting in a bowl on the hostess stand. She tossed it back into the restaurant, Taconny running after it, giggling the whole while.

As they made their escape Nick chanced one last glance at all the different pictures on the wall. One stuck out in particular and it made him pause as he read the inscription beneath it.

A beautiful black wolf in an old Ranger uniform stood smiling at the camera. She had one leg up on a rock, showing off her strong leg muscles that would probably make most males howl. Behind her was a beautiful view of a waterfall that cascaded down the side of a mountain. She had a look of both confidence and happiness as she smirked at Nick.

A small piece of paper was taped to the photo of the wolf: "Ranger Lynn, First Female Captain"

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers!**

 **Sorry for the absence. I had to take a little hiatus from writing. Just needed to clear my head after some stuff went down.**

 **Anyways! We are back!**

 **I had the pleasure of talking to an old friend recently and suddenly it hit me. This story needs more Tacos! So special thanks to Owli (quit changing your damn name girl! xD)for popping back up and letting me use her amazingly fun OC Taconny!**

 **Cover Pic time!**

 **Ok So some of you may have noticed we have a new full-blown cover. Not gonna lie, it was kinda hard replacing the old one because Red did such an amazing job on the temp. However, she did an even better job on the new full cover! Thanks to _Red Velvet Panda_ for kicking butt on this new cover. It is exactly what I wanted for this story. I love it and I hope you all do too. If you get a chance go tell red how much you love it on DA under **_**Caliosidhe.**_

 **I know right now some of you are like: Yo Blue! Where the heck is my WildeHopps fluff in this story? I know I know. I want it too, but the build up is fun too right? I mean remember the last story? Took weeks for Nick to just learn Judy was a bunny! I promise though fun times are ahead for our favorite couple.**

 **Till next time.**

 **Pinecone!**

 **-Blue**


	4. Lets be brief

-Let's be brief-

"Wake up sleeping beauty," Trisha said as she fiddled with her phone in the passenger seat. "Check."

"And a handsome beauty he is," Nick added as he glanced over at Trisha in time to see her roll her eyes, the smirk on her lips though lingered.

"Breakfast…which should have been easy but a certain someone had to go and embarrass me."

"Ok, so what's the big deal? So I don't like-" Nick began but was cut off by the brown bunny sitting next to him.

"Check."

"It was just breakfast…" Nick grumbled.

Nick felt something tugging at his waist and looked over in time to see Trisha holding his walkie-talkie in her paws. The doe wiggled the device and gave the fox a look that told him he was on thin ice.

"I meant to say it was an amazing breakfast. The most important meal of the day," The fox corrected himself, worried that Trisha would call Judy and tell her what he had just said.

 _Seriously it was just breakfast._

"what was that?"

Nick froze and was suddenly worried that Trisha could read minds. He kept his eyes forward and his paws on the wheel as they drove down the road.

"that's what I thought."

 _Note to self, ask Judy if Trisha can read minds._

There was no response from Nick's passenger and he breathed a sigh of relief, he must have just been letting his paranoia get the best of him.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. The two of them chatting about the day ahead. Nick tried to get another story about Judy out of Trisha but the brown bunny said he only got one a day.

"Aww come on Blue," Nick said as he turned the dirt covered truck down a side road.

"Nice try there Foxy, but no…you gotta earn embarrassing stories about Judy."

Nick let out a sigh but smirked all the same.

Trisha guided Nick through the many forest roads. The scenery was rather fantastic. The trees were all large and healthy. Occasionally a strong breeze would flow through the valley causing the forest to sway like water in a lake. Nick was glad they had the windows rolled down as his nose picked up all the different fresh scents that came pouring into the truck.

"Take the next left and then it's just straight ahead," Trisha advised as she put her phone in her pocket and enjoyed the drive.

The Rock Pile as it was called wasn't an actual rock pile. It was actually a series of cement block buildings that made a small complex that sat in the middle of the woods. There was a small parking lot in front of the main building. The Parks Department logo was painted on the large double doors. A metal sign on the entry doors read: Park Operations. Underneath the main title were the departments located in the building.

Nick had thought that the Rockpile would be Rangers only but as it turned out they shared the building with Dispatch, Emergency Management, Forestry, and even the sheriff's department had some offices inside.

Trisha noticed Nick reading the list of the different departments located in the building and she took a minute to explain.

"It's a new complex. It's only a few years old. Built like a bunker to withstand a lot of punishment from the elements. We have generators, supplies, even got a bunk room in the back. The whole forest could fall apart and we would still have operations running. We have our own building that we can access from the side but I thought you would like the nickel tour."

"Can you break a dime?" Nick asked with a wink.

"Nope, that can just be my tip," Trisha shot back with a wink.

Nick smirked and opened one of the double doors and stepped to the side so Trisha could lead the way.

"Such a gentle mammal."

"Only on weekdays."

"Because you and Judy go wild on weekends?"

"No comment."

"That's a yes!"

The tour was a quick one. Trisha led Nick through the halls. The walls covered in different murals from around the parks. Nick took a second to appreciate each one as they passed, Trisha explaining where each mural was in the parks.

"All of them done by one of our talented Firewatchers," Trisha explained as she pointed to a plaque next to one of a beautiful mountain vista, the sun setting just behind the peaks causing a beautiful palate of red to mix with a starry night.

Nick leaned close and inspected the plaque: Picture by Velvet "Red" Panda.

"She has a lot of talent."

"Also is quite the looker," Trisha added with a playful wink.

"Oh I'm telling Judy," Nick shot back.

The pair shared a laugh as they continued on the tour.

As they made their way around the building Trisha would occasionally open a door slowly and explain to Nick which department was where. They peaked into a call center where several mammals sat in front of a series of large screens, all of them wearing headsets as they communicated with various departments or mammals throughout the valley. A handsome looking lion noticed Trisha and waved over at the pair. Trisha beamed and waved back, blowing a kiss to the lion who chuckled before continuing with his call.

"That center handles most of the calls in the region for both the parks service and emergency service. They compacted it a few years back in order to have a smoother operation. Surprisingly it works. Folks would call 911 all the time and ask for something a ranger could handle. So they would have to transfer which would tie up a line and then take up time. Then we would get a call requiring the fire service so that was another dispatch center. Meanwhile, some dispatchers would be sitting on their butts all day bored…so long story short they brought them together. Don't ask me how but it just seems to work."

"Ok question," Nick began.

"How do mammals know which number to call? They don't. Which just makes it easier to have it all funneled here so these folks can handle the dispatch accordingly."

"No, I was gonna ask what's going on between you and the lion."

Trisha snorted and shook her head.

"He is a good friend," Trisha said softly as they strolled past another mural.

"Gooder than Delta?" Nick asked, knowing full well he had just butchered the English language.

"No one is gooder than Delta," Trisha said playfully. Nick couldn't help but notice how Trisha's tail flicked at the mention of the painted dog. He wanted to point it out but knew full well that every time a certain gray bunny was mentioned he lost all control and his tail would sway from side to side.

The rest of the tour was rather quick. Though most departments had their own offices in the complex most of them weren't occupied. Trisha explained that a lot of administrative stuff was handled at the parks main offices down the road.

"We are also in a line of work that requires us to be out and about anyways. So most of the time offices like these are used for quick meetings and the likes. If you ever need anything its better to call dispatch and have them direct a call. If they don't have a way of contacting someone then that mammal doesn't exist."

"Wait, so say someone has to contact me. How would that center get a hold of me?" Nick asked as he looked at another mural which was just a giant pile of pinecones. The plaque next to the picture had a message from the artist: Is this enough pinecones Trisha?

"They would probably just contact Judy because let's face it, you two are probably gonna be holding paws constantly when she gets back," Trisha teased.

Nick let a stupid grin cross his face at the thought. Just thinking about holding Judy's paws was enough to warm the fox up on the inside.

There was a snapping noise to Nick's side and he looked over to see Trisha snapping a picture of the daydreaming fox.

"Oh come on!"

"It's for Judy!"

A short while later Trisha had a bit of a skip in her step as they made their way down one of the hallways in the complex. A sign on the wall told Nick they were on their way to the main ranger offices. While Trisha seemed right at home Nick couldn't help but get a little nervous. He was the new mammal and he had a feeling that he was in for some hazing. That he could handle with no problem. He couldn't explain it but he felt on edge as they approached a set of dark green double doors.

Trisha stopped at the doors and turned to look at Nick, a cute smirk on her face.

"You ready to meet the team?" Trisha asked excitedly.

Nick looked down at the doe and managed to feed off her positive energy. "Better question is are they ready for me?"

Trisha rolled her eyes as she put a paw on the main door, "Don't think anyone is ready for that Nick."

Before Nick could respond Trisha put a paw on one of the doors and pushed it open. The pair strolled in and were met with…

"Is this it?" Nick asked as he noticed there were only two other mammals in the room.

"Oi! Whats that suppose to mean?" A female moose asked as she looked over from a counter where several pots of coffee were brewing. The mammal was dressed in a similar outfit to Trisha. However she had gone for long pants with large pockets on the side, she was also missing the dark green cap that Trisha seemed to love sporting.

"Ignore the rookie, he has ways of saying stupid things," Trisha giggled as she skipped into the room.

"Then you two will make a great team," The moose responded with a laugh.

"You're lucky your so big," Trisha shot back as she hopped up onto the counter on the side of the room and stared up at the moose.

"Because I could pound you into the dirt?" The large mammal asked as she put a hoof on her hip and stared daggers at the doe.

"No because you can reach the sugar," Trisha nodded at a cabinet over the counter.

The moose and bunny stared at one another for a few seconds before the moose rolled her eyes.

"Can't say no to those big old blues.." The moose grumbled as she reached up and pulled a can labeled sugar from a high cabinet.

Trisha clapped her paws together as she reached out and took the can, she then hopped from the counter and began to stroll away.

"That's not for just eating!" The moose barked as she watched the mischievous doe try to get away with all the sugar.

Trisha stuck out her tongue as she turned back to the counter, obviously caught by the larger ranger.

"Nick, coffee?" Trisha asked as she hopped back up on the counter and took a seat, making herself right at home.

"Sure," Nick said as he approached a large circular table that sat in the center of the room. The parks logo painted in the center. The fox grabbed a chair and was about to pull it out when he heard Trisha speak up.

"Then come and make one, and while you're at it I'll have some hot chocolate," The bunny said as she kicked her feet in the air. She looked up at the moose who chuckled.

"Anything else boss?" Nick grumbled as he strolled over to the counter where the ladies were waiting.

"A foot rub would be nice, Jenny anything for you?"

"Could go for a shoulder rub," The moose mumbled.

"Old dog what about you?" Trisha shouted over at an arctic wolf who had been reading a newspaper at the circular table.

"First off that name is the only thing that is old around here," The canine grumbled from behind his newspaper. "Secondly the Rookie has to earn the right to make me coffee."

Nick rolled his eyes, it had only been a few minutes in the rangers HQ and he had already been called rookie two times. He actually began to miss being called Two Forks but that was probably because a certain bunny called him that. The thought of Judy gave him the strength to bear being called Rookie.

"Make you coffee?" Jenny asked as she took a sip from her own cup and turned to the wolf on the other side of the room. "You always take yours black…what's there to make about it?"

"Takes a special kind of mammal to make something I like," The wolf shot back.

"Takes a special kind of mammal to deal with your old crotchety attitude," Trisha teased.

Nick felt a little more at ease as he realized he wasn't the only one being picked on. Apparently, everyone was fair game. He wondered how well a unit like this really worked if they all had some kind of distaste for each other.

The fox had been so busy making Trisha and himself a drink that he hadn't noticed Trisha pouring some coffee into a cup and hopping down from the counter. He turned in time to see the brown bunny stroll around the table and place the cup in front of the wolf. The canine folded his newspaper and Nick finally caught a glimpse of the wolf. He was somewhat surprised to see such a kind and gentle expression attached to a predator with such a grainy voice. Nick studied the canine and took note that though the wolf looked rather fit and spry there was some gray mixed into his coat, his eyes seemed slightly glazed over and the fur on his muzzle seemed worn. This was an old canine, but he looked as if he still had a lot of life left in him. The wolf's uniform also gave his age away. This was the type of wolf that probably woke at sunrise to do a several mile run before saluting all the flags in the park. His long sleeves were crisp and pressed. There wasn't anything out of place and to top it all off his hat wasn't a regular ball cap but one of the drill instructor hats that most mammals associated with when they thought ranger. This wolf was the definition of old school.

"I know you like it black but…you know I have to add a little sweetness," Trisha said sweetly as she smiled up at the wolf. The canine let out a sigh but smiled all the same as he leaned down. Trisha stood up on her tippy paws and pressed her lips to the white fur on the canine's cheek and gave him a friendly little kiss. "Good morning Chris."

"Good morning Trisha," The wolf said with a smile as he reached down and rubbed the base of one of Trisha's ears. The small bunny let out a cooing noise before skipping back to the other side of the table where Nick was waiting with her hot chocolate.

Trisha scooped up the warm beverage and took a seat at the table, signaling for Nick to join her. The fox followed the bunny's signal and pulled out a chair next to his trainer and made himself comfortable.

"So besides being super sweet," Chris began as he folded his newspaper and set it down in front of him before picking up his coffee. "Trisha can be rather forgetful it seems."

"Agreed," Jenny said as she sat a seat away from Nick and eyed the fox.

"Forgetful?" Trisha asked as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"Oh no its ok Trisha, don't introduce us to the new guy…just let us sit here in awkward silence," Jenny said in an annoyed tone.

"Oh right!" Trisha said as her ears shot up and she smiled at Nick. "Sorry about that bud."

Trisha stood up in her chair and waved her paws around as if she were a game show host presenting a brand new car.

"Presenting…."

 _Oh, this is gonna be good._

"Judy's plaything," Trisha said simply before sitting back down.

Jenny snorted into her coffee and Chris rolled his eyes.

Nick, however, could let Trisha have all the fun. The fox put his coffee down before standing up in his chair, "Hi I am Judy's plaything and I have been pinecone free for only 2 hours."

Chris roared with laughter and Jenny had to put her cup down as she clapped her hooves together. Even Trisha giggled at Nick's antics.

"Around here that is a kind of record," Chris said as he raised his coffee in Nick's direction.

"Seriously though," Jenny began as she smiled at Nick. "Give us a proper intro. I mean we all know about you and Judy. If we are working together it would be nice to know a little about ya."

Nick was slightly surprised at how these words hit him. These mammals were once again, unlike the ones he dealt with back in Zootopia. While most mammals back in the city would want to know something about Nick they would most of the time be officers of the ZPD or some kind of con artist trying to figure out how to work the angles against Nick. Meanwhile, the mammals in front of him seemed more interested in who Nick was. He had to admit it was both odd but refreshing.

"Well, my name is Nick Wilde. Formerly of Two Forks as a firewatcher," Nick began.

"Firewatcher hero," Trisha corrected which earned him a smirk from Nick. "He is the one that helped Delta rescue that kit that was on the news."

"Oh my gosh that kit was so cu….I mean adorable," Jenny began. Nick taking note how the moose corrected herself before saying the C word in front of a bunny. "She was so shy in front of the cameras and how she held onto that carrot doll the whole time!"

"Good on you Nick," Chris said as he nodded at the fox. "Delta told us all about that rescue. Took guts, think you earned a lot of respect around here for that one."

Nick actually felt slightly bashful about all this but did his best to keep his emotions in check as he continued.

"Before I worked for the Parks Department I lived back in Zootopia…and.." Nick suddenly felt a little nervous, he didn't really want to go into detail on what he did back in the city. It was now a part of his life he was slightly ashamed of. After meeting Judy he was more focused on the future and less concerned about his past.

"Bet you were a real heartbreaker," Jenny teased. Trisha gave the moose a look. "What? Oh, come on we are all friends here. Nick, you must have been slaying the vixens back there…or should I say bunnies?"

Nick gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his head, "Actually Judy is my first.."

"First what?" Jenny asked with surprise written all over her face. "First mate?"

"What?! No! I mean bunny, first bunny," Nick blathered out.

"So just banging vixens left and right then?" Jenny asked with a flirty wink.

Trisha coughed and Nick turned in time to see the bunny making several slicing motions across her neck, obviously signaling Jenny to stop. Nick gave Trisha an odd look and made two mental notes. One was to talk to Trisha later and ask what she knew. Two was to talk to Judy and see what she had said. He felt a slight pang of annoyance, wondering what his bunny may have revealed to Trisha.

"Well, I am sure we can discuss Nick's prowess in that regard later," Chris chuckled, it was painfully clear what the wolf was trying to do but Nick was grateful none the less. "In the meantime, I think our own intros are in order."

"Oh right!" Jenny said happily as she straightened her uniform before looking back at Nick. "Jenny Spil. I normally work the entrance regions."

"Entrance regions?" Nick asked as he looked over at Judy and then back to Jenny.

"You will get a tour of it all later but the quick answer is I am kind of the greeter to our parks guests. I normally patrol the Train stations, entrance to the campgrounds, and the main tourist sites near the town."

"So she is the first face a lot of mammals see when they come to visit," Trisha explained. "Which is why we see so many folks running away."

While the other mammals shared a laugh Jenny sat and made a few faces in Trisha's direction.

"I am Chris Wolfard," the wolf on the other end of the table said after the laughter died down. "I am the lodge Ranger. Used to be one of the lead patrol rangers. Would go out into the woods and stop mammals from causing trouble."

"Or cause some trouble of your own?" Jenny asked with a playful wink.

"Hush," Chris said, not breaking eye contact with Nick. "After years of service, and a few injuries, I am now the ranger that patrols the main lodge. Mainly just pointing tourists in the direction of the nearest restroom and stopping cubs from climbing on the furniture."

"He also does the flag retreat, assists in lodge security, patrols neighboring campgrounds, performs life-saving aid on mammals in trouble, and keeps all of us in line," Trisha listed off the many more important roles that Chris had neglected to mention.

"I just stand around all day and drink coffee," Chris tried to say but the ladies in the room wouldn't hear it.

"He is just too modest to take a compliment," Jenny said with a smirk.

"Yeah, unlike other canines he doesn't have much of an ego," Trisha joined in.

"Gonna assume that one is directed at Delta," Nick said as his eyelids drooped.

There was another round of laughs before a chirping came from a small black box in the center of the table. Nick stared at the device and realized it was a kind of speakerphone combo. A red light blinked next to a small screen. Trisha grinned as she jumped up onto the table and scurried over. The other rangers made themselves comfortable as they stared at the box. Trisha reached the device and pressed a small button next to the screen.

There was a few moments silence before a familiar voice came from the speaker.

"Good morning Rangers," Skye said over the frequency. "Before we begin let's begin with role call.."

Several different mammal's voices came over the radio in order.

"Ranger 1 present," Came a firm voice over the speaker.

"Ranger 2 present," Chris said before taking a sip of coffee.

"Ranger 3 still waking up but here," Came a lovely voice from the speaker.

"Ranger 4 present."

It went on like that for a while. Of course, Nick was thrown into the mix at one point.

"Ranger 7 took me a while to wake the rookie but we got him going."

"Bet you did," Came a male's voice.

Several different laughs came over the radio.

"Your just jealous Frank," Trisha shot back.

"Children focus!" Skye said quickly. "Nick just making sure you are present…"

"Yes ma'am," Nick said quickly.

"Hehehehe, he called Skye ma'am," Delta's voice came through the speaker.

"Ranger 16! Don't make me come out there," Skye shouted.

"Oh send me boss! Send me!" Trisha said as she waved her paw in the air as if Skye could see her.

"Ranger 8 you there?" Skye asked as the arctic fox tried her best to get some control back on the frequency.

Though the lower numbers had a voice connected to them Nick noticed some of the higher numbers were absent from roll call. When it got to 16 though he was met with a surprise.

"Ranger 16 present plus one from Parks Department," The painted dog informed. There was a pause before another voice came in.

"Good Morning Rangers," Judy said softly.

The radio erupted with greetings to Judy. Most of the rangers seemed to know the gray bunny and Nick couldn't help but smile at how popular his doe was.

"No good morning Nick?" Judy asked, sounding somewhat disappointed.

There was a pause over the radio as everyone waited for Nick to say something.

"Good morning Carrots," Nick said with a smug smirk.

There were a series of coos from some of the female rangers.

"Oh gosh that is the most adorable thing," Jenny squealed.

"Think I'm gonna be sick," Came a male's voice.

"Oh shut up, your just mad Nick doesn't call you Carrots," Came another male's voice Nick didn't recognize.

"Zack looks more like a pumpkin if you ask me," Trisha shot back.

More laughs over the radio, Nick noticed Skye's voice was amongst the ones throwing the occasional comment as well. It took another five minutes for the group to finish up role call. Nick felt more and more at home as he listened to the rangers giving each other a hard time.

Eventually, though they did actually have to get to work.

"Alright so as you know Jack and I are in and out of meetings all week at the lodge," Skye began as the group finally settled down. "Lots of meetings because of the June fire."

"Should rename it the Judy fire," Trisha teased.

"Ok explain," Skye shot back, pausing the briefing.

Nick began to shake his head as he looked at the brown bunny next to him. It was too late however and Trisha came out and said it.

"Two Forks tower was the one to name it," Trisha explained. "Bit of a coincidence don't ya think?"

Nick put a paw to his forehead and closed his eyes as the catcalls came pouring from the speaker.

"That's one way to get a girls attention," Delta joined in. "I mean some folks send cards, others flowers. Nick though names a raging inferno when professing his feelings."

"Could be worse," Nick shot back. He looked over at Trisha whose ears raised in curiosity, "Least I don't go smashing my bunny against trees."

"OH MY GOD!" Came a female's voice over the radio as laughter exploded out of the speakers.

"I'm dying!"

"You 'smashing' a lot of mammals against trees Delta?"

"Knew those two got freaky on patrol!"

"I really resented that pumpkin remark," Zack grumbled.

Trisha meanwhile continued to punch Nick in the arm. The fox tried to block the attacks but eventually, the bunny climbed onto the fox's chair and began to slap at his ears. A look of annoyance and embarrassment on the doe's face.

"Anyways," Skye came back, sounding short of breath.

"Oh come on boss we cant just leave this be," Came a gruff voice.

"I said anyways!" Skye shouted. "I have like 3 hours sleep because I'm busy with all this June fire junk and keeping you idiots in line."

"Haha! She called all of you idiots," Came a female's voice.

"Your one of those idiots too, Samantha!"

"Oi! Focus!" Skye shot once more. "Ok So briefing. Stuck in meetings all week about the June fire. Not gonna lie to you rangers. That thing cost a fortune to fight and right now the parks budget is a lot more depleted than we previously thought."

Silence fell over the radio. Everyone could tell from Skye's tone that this was a serious matter.

"There are teams out there evaluating what it would cost to get the forest back into full swing. Talk is we may need to cut budgets across the board. Don't worry though no job cuts on our end. But say goodbye to overtime for now."

There was a collective groan over the frequency before a sweet voice chimed in.

"Don't worry Rangers. Delta and I are on our way to meet one of those teams. I am sure they will have good news..." Judy said confidently.

"Nick has the dumbest grin on his face right now," Trisha teased which earned a chuckle from the group and a push from Nick. Trisha however latched onto Nick's arm which made the fox panic. It was a rather amusing sight to Jenny and Chris who watched as the fox had to stand up in his seat, waving his arm about, as the brown bunny held on tightly and began to laugh uncontrollably.

The briefing continued without another hitch. Skye gave out a few assignments to rangers out in the field.

"Ranger Rose," Skye said as she came to an assignment for Trisha. Nick chuckled at the eye roll from the bunny who wasn't a fan of folks using her last name.

"Yes, Head Ranger Winter?" Trisha shot back.

"Oh that's cold," Skye teased. "Anyways your assignment for the coming weeks are simple."

"Terrorize Nick to no end?"

"Exactly," Skye said with a chuckle.

"Try and keep him in one piece please," Judy said sweetly over the radio. "I still have some uses for him."

"Care to tell us what those uses are?" Trisha asked seductively.

Delta roared with laughter over the radio, "Oh my gosh I have never seen a bunny turn so red before- OW!"

"Oh hey, Jackl!" Skye said rather quickly as an annoyed male voice could be heard in the background.

"Bunch of idiots the lot of them….they want us to cancel all overtime…oh but we also need extra coverage. They expecting my team to work for free or something?! Bunch of pencil pushing idiots…"

"I have the team on the briefing channel if you want to-" Skye began.

"Rangers!" Came a firm male voice.

"Sir!" Everyone responded quickly.

"Keep doing what you do best. Ignore what anyone from parks said, bunch of idiots the lot of-"

"Hey now," Judy interrupted.

"Hopps? What are you doing on my ranger frequency? I mean don't get me wrong good to hear from you but…umm…explain."

"Out surveying some of the land affected by the June fire. Delta is escorting me and I borrowed his radio," The bunny said innocently.

"This is because that fox of yours is on the frequency isn't it?" Jack grumbled. There were several catcalls and jeers from the other rangers on the frequency. "Speaking of which. Wilde you there or has Trisha scared you off yet?"

Nick had finally gotten free of Trisha's grasp and took a moment to respond, "Right here sir."

"Nick, Jack Savage here. I am the senior supervisor for park safety operations. Fancy way of saying I handle big picture stuff while Skye keeps the knuckleheads in check. Let me apologize for several things. First, I should have been at your interview. It's my job to be there to greet all our new rangers but been busy putting out fires here at the lodge," Jack began to explain.

"Poor choice of words don't ya think boss?" Trisha piped up.

"Second off let me apologize for Trisha," Jack continued.

"I haven't done anything yet!" Trisha shouted as she put her paws on the table and glared at the radio.

"I meant in general," Jack teased.

"Skye!" Trisha said quickly and stared at the speaker.

"Ow! Hey, whose side are you on?!" Jack shouted, Skye, having done something to the mammal on the other end of the radio.

"Oh I am on one's side, I just know I need to keep that brown bun of energy happy," Skye commented.

There was some grumbling from Jack before he continued. "Good point, happy Trisha equals less paperwork. Nick you still there?"

"Yes sir," Nick responded as he looked at the radio and then to Trisha who was still fuming.

"In all seriousness, you have an amazing trainer there. She has said nothing but good things about you so I fully expect you to fit in with this team. If you have any issues you have Skye and me…unless its Trisha causing said problems. At that point, you are best going to Delta."

"Yeah, no.." Delta piped up.

"Judy?" Jack suggested.

"Oh like I have control over her."

"Ok so maybe you are on your own," Jack chuckled. "Anyways, welcome to the Rangers, Nick. We will meet face to face soon. Till then good luck and just trust Trisha….as crazy as that sounds."

Nick looked over at Trisha who had a wicked smirk on her lovely lips, "Trust me," she mouthed silently and winked.

Nick gave the doe a smug smirk of his own, "You got it, boss."

"Skye anything else?" Jack asked.

"Nope, all assignments are given and team has been briefed."

"Judy say goodbye to your fox for now," Jack teased.

There was laughter coming from the team once more but they all fell silent rather quickly and listened.

"Have fun my foxy ranger in training," Judy said in a seductive tone that Nick knew was made simply to get him in trouble.

The kissy noises were endless as several mammals made jokes at his expense. The fox, however, refused to be outdone.

"Talk to you later beautiful. Hurry home, been needing something to nibble at. Think I will start with the tail this time."

There was a roar of laughter and applause, the rangers knowing Nick just one-uped his bunny.

"So Judy had this really funny look on her face, then fainted, way to go Wilde. Now I have to carry your bun to the damn meeting site." Delta came back over the radio. "Still though, that was pretty good."

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers!**

 **Long time no see.**

 **I know its been a while and I wanna apologize for my absence. The first week was really rough for me. No sleep, couldn't eat, long story don't wanna bring you all down.**

 **The second week was a lot more happy though. Went on a Disney Cruise! Had an amazing time and was able to relax. First vacation in like 7 years.**

 **Before you start asking, yes I did bring you back something! Who wants some sand? :D**

 **So we had a little taste of WildeHopps cuteness in this one. Some flirting over the radio with the Rangers listening in was kinda fun right?**

 **As some of you may notice I am big on teasing and slow burns. So just be patient and I promise it will be fun! Got some super adorable fluffiness in store for our favorite canine and bunny couple, may even have some for Nick and Judy too ;P**

Oh and for those of you asking about the last chapter and why the breakfast bit was such a big deal. To quote a brilliant man: People who don't eat breakfast are idiots -Ron Swanson.

 **Seriously though breakfast is super important, make sure you start your day off right Firewatchers!**

 **Till next time.**

 **Pinecone!**

 **-Blue**


	5. It's all fair in Fairfax

-It's all fair in Fairfax-

There was another set of bumps as Nick drove his truck over what must have been the third railroad crossing they had traversed in the matter of a minute.

"Did you pick the bumpiest route on purpose?" Nick asked as the truck leveled out, only for another set of tracks to appear straight ahead.

"Oh hush this is fun!" Trisha squeaked as she was bounced up and down in her seat, the doe grateful she had managed to get her seatbelt on in time. Her small body would have easily been thrown out of the truck if it weren't for the straps wrapped around her supple frame.

"Poor truck," Nick grumbled as he patted the dash. When he had bought the old rust bucket he had done so with the intent of never returning to Zootopia. It had merely been a last second buy to get him from point A to point B. He had however grown fond of the truck over his time in the forest. When they had returned from the woods Judy and Nick had spent many a night laid out in the truck bed looking up at the stars.

Memories came flooding back, even though they had only just been made, Nick had cherished them all as if they had been happening all his life.

The way the moon brightened up the sky. How Judy would point out the constellations only to realize Nick had never let his eyes wander from her beautiful fur during her explanations of what stars meant what. She would always slap him on the arm and giggle as his green eyes took in every bit of her beautiful body that he could. The thought of breaking his gaze from her never entering his head.

Of course, that was when Judy was here. Now his bunny was out in what was left of the forest trying to get the park's operation back in order. Nick meanwhile was stuck being a chauffeur to-

"Next time we should bring a can of soda then give it to Skye when we are done!" Trisha exclaimed as they crossed another set of tracks that went off in a different direction like all the others before.

"Why are there so many tracks in this area anyway?" Nick grumbled.

"Your kitting right?" Trisha asked as she eyed the fox in the driver's seat.

"No, should I be?" Nick asked, sounding slightly confused.

Trisha suddenly had a rather mischievous look on her face as she eyed the tod. Nick had the urge to try and cover himself up, wondering why Trisha looked at him that way.

"She hasn't taken you into town?" Trisha asked with a smug smile.

"No…"

"And she never took you to Lynn's?" The ranger remembering their breakfast earlier that day.

"No…" The fox said a second time.

"How long have you two been back in the main region?" Trisha asked as she tried to contain her giggles.

Nick suddenly realized what Trisha was getting at, or at least what he thought she was.

"Are you suggesting that my Judy is embarrassed of me?" Nick asked, a coldness in his tone.

Trisha burst out laughing, "No, but I am now."

Nick let his eyelids droop, he should have known that wasn't the thought crossing Trisha's mind, then what was?

"Then what?"

"I just didn't realize foxes could go that long," Trisha giggled.

Nick's eyes widened at what Trisha was suggesting and he couldn't help but laugh. He glanced at the doe who had a somewhat hungry look in her bright blues, her appetite was hopefully just for knowledge.

"No. It's not like that. We just…stayed in the cabin..."

"Annnnnd?"

"Shut up," The fox grumbled.

The squeaks and laughs coming from the other side of the truck made the fox wince as he tried to stay focused on driving. He did, however, let his lips curl into a smug smile. The small brown bun at his side was actually not wrong in one regard. Foxes could go long. But not in the sense Trisha was thinking. No Nick could go for hours stroking Judy's ears as she slumbered in bed with him. He could stare at her for what felt like forever as she curled into a little ball and slept on his stomach. He could go the whole day without saying a word as he held the bunny close in his arms and breathed in her scent.

Judy and Nick had done nothing but cuddle and share one another's company since their arrival back to the main region. They would occasionally go for lunch at the lodge, it being nearby Camp "Cuddly" meant it was a perfect spot to grab some food. Other than that they had spent most of their time sitting on the lake near the small set of cabins. Or maybe strolling through the woods. It wasn't until Trisha pointed out Nick knew nothing of the region he had been staying in for the past few weeks that he realized how he had spent most of his time, and how wonderful it all had been.

The fox began to wonder if this was his life now. Spending sun-soaked days paw n paw with a certain gray doe as they talked about utter nonsense. If that was his lot in life then he thanked whoever was looking out for him upstairs because to him that was paradise.

"I mean I know you canines can go at it for a while but damn Nick," Trisha teased, bringing the fox back to reality.

Nick simply rolled his eyes and shook his head, "It isn't what you think…we just-"

They turned a bend and the fox let his words fall silent as he saw the town ahead of them. He let out a low whistle as he took in the sight.

The town of Fairfax wasn't exactly a sprawling metropolis like Zootopia. Far from it. The town was easily just a fraction of the size of the smallest district back in the city. There were a few dozen buildings spread out here and there. The main sight of the town, however, was the 6 different set of train tracks that sat in the middle of town.

"It used to be the central hub for all coal, lumber, and passenger trains outside of the city. When Zootopia was first being built where do you think they got the resources? Fairfax was set up at first as a simple mining community. Then it expanded when more and more workers came from the city. Eventually, it became a full-blown town. Mind you I heard it was a lot livelier back in the day," Trisha explained as Nick drove his truck down the main paved road towards the town.

The fox was surprised to see as much activity as he did. Mammals of all sorts and sizes were strolling around the town. Vehicles of various shapes and designs whizzed through the winding streets as they took their occupants to various destinations.

"Looks pretty lively to me," Nick commented.

"It does, the Township has roughly 8000 residents spread throughout this smaller valley. The train lines you see are mostly unused these days except tracks 2, 3, and 4. Two is used by the Zootopia Transit Authority to bring mammals in and out of the town from the city, three is used to transport folks to the lodge on this old steam train, and four is used for another steam train that takes folks on a grand circle tour of the parks."

As Trisha explained this they drove past an old-fashioned train station. Nick noticed it had recently been repainted and actually reminded him a little bit of old westerns he would see as a kit. The building was an old school house red with white trim. Parts of it was made of brick while the rest was of a finely polished wood. The image wouldn't be complete of course without a large clock that sat on top of the train station.

"Make a left and we will be on Main Street," Trisha instructed as they passed the station.

As they made a lazy turn onto the main street of Fairfax Nick was somewhat impressed. For a second he thought there wouldn't be much in the way of offerings in what appeared to be a dust-covered berg. Surprisingly though the town seemed to have everything. There were coffee shops, restaurants, a few convenience stores. All of them though were dressed up to look like they belonged in another era.

"Has everything a city slicker like you could ask for. And if you can't find it then a quick order from the general store can be made to get it," Trisha explained as they drove past a large building with an old wooden sign that read: Fairfax General Store.

"Gotta say, kinda impressed," Nick let out as they drove down the main street.

"We may not be Zootopia but we got all the modern conveniences you could ever need," Trisha said proudly before instructing Nick to park in front of a green and white building nestled between two restaurants.

Once parked Nick and Trisha hopped out of the truck and stretched for a moment, the bunny's chest puffing out which caused a young buck riding his bicycle nearby to nearly crash into a parked car. Nick plucked the radio from his belt and keyed the mic.

"So why haven't you ever taken me into town? Too embarrassed to be seen with your fox?"

There was a pause over the frequency before Judy picked up.

"What are you talking about? I would never be embarrassed of you….well maybe your jokes, but not of all of you." Judy came back quickly.

"Well Trisha is taking me into town," Nick teased. "A town that has been only 20 minutes from our cabin and I have never been to."

There was another pause before Judy answered. The bunny must have been searching her memories, trying to see if what Nick was saying was correct.

"Oh, my gosh…how did we not go to Fairfax?" Judy asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Oh, I know why!" Trisha shouted as she raised her paw. Nick rolled his eyes at the doe's antics before keying up the mic.

"I think it's because we have been far too busy," Nick suggested.

"Busy with?"

"You know," Nick said, wanting to see if Judy would put two and two together.

Silence was all Nick got for a few seconds before Judy responded. "Mmmm….stargazing…"

"Late mornings."

"Walks by the lake."

The voice over Judy's radio suddenly changed as Delta came on the frequency, "Wilde if you make her faint again and I have to lug her bunny butt around I am gonna come back and dunk you in a lake or something."

Trisha scurried over and tried to get the radio from Nick but the fox had started to learn Trisha's tricks and kept her at bay.

"Delta are you jealous? Listen bud when you get back you and I can go stargazing," Nick suggested.

There was a roar of laughter from the radio, "You should see the pout that is on your bunny's face right now."

Judy's voice returned to the radio a second later, "You can take him stargazing but cuddle time is for me."

Trisha managed to sidestep Nick's defenses and scooped the radio up, "And me!"

"And Trisha," Judy giggled over the radio.

Nick just rolled his eyes as he plucked the radio from Trisha's paws, the brown bunny turning and giving Nick a playful wink.

Once done with their amusing radio conversation Trisha led Nick inside the store they had parked in front of. The sign just above the doorway read: Fairfax Clothing and Tailor. The fox was met with a series of familiar scents as they entered. As his nose twitched the fox recognized all the different fabrics and the odors they would carry. Looking around he had to admit the store had a lot in the ways to offer when it came to fashion. It was no Tundra Town fashion selection but it was still pretty impressive. Different kinds of apparel hung on the walls and down the aisles. Nick followed Trisha who strolled casually through the store towards a counter where a tiger was currently reading a newspaper. A soft sound came from the radio on the shelf behind the main counter. The whole place felt rather cozy.

"Hey Edward," Trisha said happily as she hopped up onto the counter and took a seat.

The tiger held up a large paw, signaling he needed a moment. Trisha looked down at the paper then rolled her eyes. She turned to Nick and whispered, "He likes keeping up on the town's gossip column. You know which resident is dating who- OI!" The doe snapped as the tiger leaned over and flicked one of Trisha's ears.

Nick smirked, having a feeling he would like the tiger who didn't hesitate to correct Trisha. Of course, he also had a feeling the tiger's size kept the doe in check if he tried something like that the brown bun of doom would probably tackle him or worse…find a pinecone.

Once the tiger was done with the article he had been perusing he set the newspaper down and gave Trisha a warm smile.

"Ranger Trisha, good to see you again," He said with a toothy grin.

Trisha rubbed her ear but smiled at the large mammal none the less, "Yeah I can tell you are oh so happy to see me."

"Let me guess, new uniform?" The tiger asked as he looked over at Nick.

Trisha suddenly brightened up and nodded.

"Yeah, need a standard unarmed patrol uniform set and probably something for lodge detail. Make him look good."

"Well I already look good," Nick pointed out which caused both the tiger and the bunny to turn to one another with knowing looks. "Oh, that's cold…"

As Edward came around the counter Nick studied the large predator. He was wearing a pair of black slacks that had been expertly measured and cut to a perfect length. The sky blue dress shirt had also been molded so it fit the tiger's body rather well. This gave Nick some confidence about the tailor and his abilities. Of course, the look wouldn't be complete without some measuring tape slung around Edward's neck.

"Arms up, mister?"

"Wilde, but call me Nick," The fox said as he held his arms out.

"Nick? You mean Judy's Nick?" Edward asked as he stretched his measuring tape along one of Nick's arms, going right to work. The tiger looked back at Trisha who nodded.

"Ok seriously how many mammals know?" Nick grumbled.

"Small town, word travels fast, think it was in the paper a week or so ago," The tiger chuckled.

The fox looked over at Trisha who held up the newspaper and mimed the words "Gossip column".

Nick rolled his eyes, "Of course it was."

"Don't worry, Delta and I had a whole article about us a while back," Trisha said with a wink as she crossed her legs and bobbed one of her large feet in the air. "What was the article called?"

"Ranger Romance," Edward said softly as he continued to measure Nick. The fox noticing how the predator wasn't writing anything down but seemed to silently mouth the measurements to himself. "Think a lot of ladies were pretty upset when they read that one."

Trisha growled slightly from her spot on the counter. Nick raised a brow at the doe before Edward continued the conversation.

"Oh yes, apparently there were one or two ladies in town and one at the lodge that fancied a little painted playtime." Edward began to chuckle when a spool of thread whizzed through the air and smacked him on the back of the head.

Edward stood up and looked over at the doe who looked over her shoulder and then back at the tiger, trying to play innocent.

"Where did that come from?" Trisha asked, her eyes wide but her grin gave her away.

"Ranger Nick I pray for your sanity," Edward said softly as he returned to measuring the fox's legs.

"I am not exactly a ranger, still need to pass my training."

Edward smiled at Nick and leaned a little closer, "Last thing she needs is her ego stroked, but you have a very dedicated ranger sitting on my counter who will make sure you are ready when the time comes. So your Ranger status is a matter of when not if."

Trisha giggled and Nick even noticed a light blush going up the inside of the doe's ears.

"Great…think she heard me…" Edward groaned before standing up. "Alright, all set Nick."

"That was fast," Nick said in surprise.

"Tigers ain't like foxes," Trisha teased. The comment going right over Edward's head. Nick, however, rolled his eyes and wondered if the bunny ever planned on letting that one go. Trisha hopped from the counter beamed at the fox. "For a big brute, he sure can be gentle though."

"I'll show you big brute," The tiger grumbled as he strolled back behind the counter and pulled out an order form. "Charge to the regular account?"

"Please," Trisha nodded. "When can we expect it?"

"I have no other orders right now so it shouldn't take long. Plus I have a ton of material left over from the last order so I may not even need to order more. I'll call you in a few days."

"Sweet!" Trisha exclaimed. A thought then popped into her head. "Any chance on a pair of short shorts for him? You know…for Judy."

Nick's eyes went wide and he started to shake his head. Edward looked up and chuckled.

"You want him to go for your look now?"

"Oh please," Trisha said as she put a paw on her hip and snapped her fingers. "Like anyone else could pull off this cuteness."

"Bet Judy could," Nick pointed out.

"Well yeah…I guess"

The two predators laughed at Trisha whose ears drooped at the idea she wasn't the queen of cute but even she had a smile on her lips in the end.

Once back outside Nick keyed up his radio. "So got measured for my uniform. Requested we go for a more stylish look. What do you think of a tuxedo?"

Judy responded back with a snort, "Love it. Bet you look pretty handsome in one."

"I look handsome in everything," Nick teased.

"That you do…" Judy said in a somewhat distant voice.

"You two have only been apart for a day! A freaking day! Whats with that look?" Delta asked in the background of Judy's transmission.

"You should see Nick's dumb grin," Trisha joined in as she keyed Nick's radio by squeezing his paw with both of hers. "I mean he looked dumb before but this is a whole new level."

After the tailor, Trisha took Nick on a walking tour of the small town of Fairfax. They didn't exactly stray far from Main Street but Trisha managed to paint a pretty picture of what the town was like and how it was laid out.

"Now if you ever get a call just confirm with dispatch where it is. If you don't know then call them on your cell and get directions. No point tying up the radio while they guide you through town," Trisha explained as they passed a small furniture store with several wooden rocking chairs sitting out front.

"Wait," Nick began as he began to go over what Trisha had just said. "Why would I get a call in town? Don't we have the sheriffs department for that? I mean what was with Sheriff Eat Your Breakfast at Lynn's?"

Trisha chuckled before answering, a slight skip in her step, "The town of Fairfax was designated a landmark a while back. It also has several parks spread throughout the area that we assist in. We kinda have a shared jurisdiction of the area with the local authorities. Most of the time if we are called though to assist with events or maybe meet someone to take up to the lodge on a special detail. So don't worry it ain't like you are chasing anyone down in the streets." The bunny paused before glancing over at Nick. "Unless that someone is Judy and you are-"

"I get it I get it," Nick chuckled as he shook his head at his friend's antics.

The town as it turned out had a lot to offer in the way of activities. There were several walking trails, lush parks, and even a museum dedicated to the town. All of these were run by the parks department as made apparent from all the different signs with the tree and shield logo.

Trisha bought them to lunch in town at a small café run by an otter who, of course, knew Trisha and scurried over to give the ranger a hug. Nick noticed how the smaller predator eyed him and looked at Trisha who gave a nod. Nick knowing full well what the unspoken signal meant, he couldn't resist.

"Yes, I am Judy's fox," He said with a sly wink.

After lunch, they took a turn off Main Street and wandered down another shop filled street. The stores all kept with the rustic theme of the town. Trisha was actually a rather fun tour guide in the end. She seemed to know a lot of the mammals in the town and they all knew her. She was kind of a Fairfax version of Nick when it came to Zootopia. Of course, for every mammal that knew Trisha, they always asked how Judy was. Nick was somewhat concerned as to why mammals seemed to associate Trisha and Judy together so much.

"Because we are park besties," Trisha said as she wiggled her nose at the concerned fox. Nick's feelings must have been betrayed by his expression as Trisha rolled her eyes. "Nick trust me, there is no breaking you two up. Even if I wanted to-"

Trisha didn't finish her sentence as she glanced inside a small store window. Her body tensing up as she took a step back and grabbed the door handle. Nick was completely caught off guard as to how fast the doe ran inside, completely abandoning their previous conversation. As the fox made his way inside he watched with wide eyes as Trisha leaped through the air, arms open, and landed on top of a surprised sounding red panda, causing her to fall with a thud on the floor.

"What the bad word?!" The predator shouted at first before she realized who it was now laying on top of her.

"Red!" Trisha squeaked happily.

"Bamboo mix supplier!" The red panda shot back playfully as she turned her head slightly, still laying on the ground as a certain brown bunny wrapped her arms around her neck and nuzzled into her back.

"Hey, Trisha," A porcupine behind the counter chuckled.

"Hey Amy," Trisha responded as she began to bury her head into the side of Red's neck.

"Ah! Ticklish!" the panda squealed as she squirmed on the floor. "Get off me, you pinecone tossing terror!"

"Never!" Trisha shouted.

Trisha being a small doe meant the red panda had no trouble standing up and brushing herself off, the bunny remaining on the predators back like some kind of adorable backpack.

The two mammals had been so caught up in their tackle meeting that Nick had come up almost unnoticed. The red panda's ears flicked and she eyed the fox that approached. A look of realization came over the mammal's face as she studied Nick.

"Oh my gosh! Your-"

 _Here it comes_.

"Nick! The Two Forks Firewatcher?"

Nick was surprised for being recognized for once and not having it be because he was "Judy's fox".

"Um yeah," Nick said as he held out a paw which was taken by the panda who began to wiggle with excitement.

"So glad you made it out! I Am Velvet Panda. Most call me Red. I worked the Red Rock tower during the fire. When I detected the wind change I tried to alert base as fast as I could."

Nick realized who he was talking to. This mammal was the Firewatcher that warned every one of the changes in wind patterns which in the end strengthened the June fire into the inferno that tore through so many regions. If it hadn't been for her then they wouldn't have had enough of a warning. In some ways, she had actually saved Nick's life.

"Well thank you for the heads up," Nick said as he gave the red panda's paw a gentle but grateful squeeze. It was followed by a wink which caused the panda to giggle uncontrollably as her cheeks warmed.

Trisha leaned close and whispered something into her friend's ears which caused the predator's eyes to go wide.

"They are?!"

Trisha nodded quickly, her ears flopping forward.

Velvet then looked right at Nick, "You are?"

Nick rolled his eyes, knowing full well what Trisha had probably told the Firewatcher.

The squeal coming from Velvet as she put her paws to her mouth and began to hop in place was actually pretty adorable.

"Oh my gosh that is the cutest thing!" The predator said as she bounced up and down, Trisha holding on as she laughed behind Velvet. "I love Judy! Like so much! Omg, you two make such a cute couple! When did you start? When was your first date? Oh my gosh, did you kiss her or did she kiss you?"

Question after high pitched question came out of Velvet as she acted like a fangirl talking about her favorite movie couple.

Nick was slightly bashful at first but proceeded to answer the curious mammal's questions. The answers, however, were hard to get out because with every answer came a fit of coos and cute noises from both Velvet and Trisha. Though the ranger had been privy to a lot of information hearing it from Nick's side of things must have been a treat. Nick kept a lot of information to himself however but did his best to be polite as he explained little parts to how he had fallen for the bunny in the Thorofare tower.

Eventually, Trisha and Nick excused themselves and headed out of the art supply store. The red panda wrapping Trisha in a warm hug while explaining they needed to catch up soon. She then extended her paw to Nick and gushed how it was a pleasure to meet him.

"One of these days we will have to get together, you think they sound gross you should see how they just stare into each other's eyes," Trisha teased as she gave her friend a wink.

"Stop! I can only take so much cuteness!" Velvet teased as she waved to her friends. "Nick it was so nice meeting you. Send Judy my love!"

Nick held up his walkie and waved it in the air, "Sending."

"Oh my gosh, he carries it around all the time?!" Velvet squealed having heard about the famous walkie-talkie from her interrogation, continuing to act like an overeager teenager watching a romantic movie. "Too much! Too much cuteness!"

Much to Nick's surprise, the day went by rather quickly. The afternoon sun began to slowly dip into the sky as early evening fast approached. Walking the town with Trisha was rather entertaining as the doe skipped alongside him and pointed out certain stores he should check out later or the small movie theater that showed classic movies.

"FYI, next month they are showing Casablanca," Trisha said as they walked under the theater's marque.

"Bet Judy would love a date night," Nick thought aloud.

"She does and will with me," Trisha said firmly as she gave the fox a look.

Nick raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in tone from the brown doe.

"Judy and I have a standing date night every time that movie comes in," Trisha said firmly. "No boys allowed."

Nick laughed at how the doe tried to stand tall as she crossed her arms. Before he could stop her Trisha lept at him and managed to get the radio off his belt.

"Judy, we still on for next month at the movies?" The doe asked as she took a step back from the fox who tried to grab the walkie-talkie back.

"Oh heck yes! Been looking forward to it."

"And if a certain fox tries to come along?" Trisha asked slyly.

Nick stopped and crossed his own arms, giving Trisha s smug look. Sure Trisha and Judy were very close and had an amazing bond. Now that Nick was in the picture though Trisha would just have to share Judy-

"He and I can go later," Judy responded.

Nick's mouth fell open as he stared at the walkie-talkie like it had betrayed him.

Trisha stuck her tongue out at the fox and tossed him his walkie.

"What if I buy the snacks?" Nick asked as he keyed the mic.

"Don't even try dude," Delta's voice came over the frequency. "Trust me. You don't get between the buns and their date night. You and I can go for drinks at the Barn though."

"Trying to get a roll in the hay?" Nick asked playfully.

Delta and Judy's laughter filled the frequency and Nick prided himself as he watched Trisha's tail flick, her own sweet laughter filling his ears.

"It's not that kind of barn Nick," Judy managed to say after catching her breath. "Maybe Trisha can show you later."

"Oh no, that's on Judy," Trisha said as she led them back down the street towards Nick's pick up truck.

"Trisha says you are gonna have to take me," Nick said.

"What? Trisha not wanting to take my fox to a bar? What gives?"

"Wanna sit."

"Says she wants to sit," Nick repeated over the radio. Sounding somewhat confused. "What they don't have seats at the bar?"

As it turns out Trisha wanted to not just sit but to show Nick something. The drive out of town didn't take long. Trisha guiding Nick along a small dirt road that slowly ascended up a tree-covered hill. Nick was somewhat curious what was next on their tour but kept his questions to himself, knowing that Trisha would probably have something rather entertaining set up for the end of the day.

Once at the top of the hill Trisha unbuckled her seat belt in silence which told Nick they had arrived at their destination. He put the truck in park and shut the engine off. Trisha opened the door and hopped out and took a slow stroll towards a ledge just beyond their dirt parking spot. Nick followed the bunny and froze as he took in the sights just beyond the log Trisha sat down on. In the distance sat the town of Fairfax and all its glory. Beyond that was the sea of trees that led into the National Park Nick had called home for several weeks. The same place he had met Judy. The same place he had fallen in love.

To some, it may have just been a vast expanse of trees. To Nick though it had so much meaning that he couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate the view.

Trisha turned and smiled at the fox. She reached over on the log and patted the spot next to her. Nick followed the doe's silent orders and took a seat. He instinctively left some space between them. Space which vanished quickly as Trisha scooted over till their legs touched. Nick couldn't tell if this was a bunny trait, always wanting to be close to someone or if it was just how his ranger friend acted.

They sat in a peaceful silence for some time until Trisha finally spoke up.

"Nick I want you to know something," Trisha said, her voice was not its normal bubbly self which caused the fox to look over at the bunny who kept her gaze forward at Fairfax. "I really love Judy…"

The urge to chime in was overwhelming but the tone in the small doe's voice told Nick to let Trisha speak uninterrupted.

"She is one of my dearest friends and I want her to be happy," The bunny looked up the Nick and her lip curled slightly. "You know she almost left all this for you?"

Nick took in a deep breath and nodded. He knew that Judy nearly gave up her life here in the forest to be with him. There was a short time that they didn't know what would happen to the fox. They had both lost sleep over the thought of him having to leave the parks service because they didn't have a job for him. If he couldn't find work nearby he would have had to return to the city to find something. Judy had insisted she would follow him. He had felt somewhat guilty knowing what Judy would leave behind but she would brush off his concern and claim as long as they were together they would be alright. It wasn't until just now that Nick realized what this would have meant to Judy's friends and family in the forest.

The doe wouldn't just be leaving a job behind but so many mammals that knew her and cared for her. He couldn't help feel a slight pang of regret, knowing he had completely overlooked what would happen to Trisha if Judy left the forests.

"You didn't have to stay here ya know," Trisha continued as she looked out at Fairfax as the sun began to slowly sink behind the mountain vistas beyond. "You could have left. I know you only took this job as a kind of last minute thing. Something to keep you from having to go back to Zootopia right away. I don't know what your plans were or still are and I won't pry. But I want to do anything I can to make it so you enjoy being a ranger…so you don't leave. Because if you do then…" Trisha trailed off, not wanting to say what they were both thinking.

The two sat in silence as the sun finally disappeared behind the mountains. The sky which had been a brilliant orange was soon invaded by a dark blue. The stars illuminating the heavens above the two mammals sitting on the overlook.

"I don't want you to feel I'm only doing this to keep Judy around," Trisha continued as she reached over and put a paw on top of Nick's. "You are a good mammal Nick. I can tell. And I want you to know, I'm going to do everything I can to make you the very best ranger you can be."

Nick remained silent for a moment before finding just the right thing to say. Sometimes in moments like this, there was only one thing to say.

"Pinecone."

* * *

 **Hey There Firewatchers!**

 **Oh my gosh it has been a while right? Sorry for the wait. You know how life can be sometimes right?**

 **I came back from a cruise (yes it was awesome) and everything seemed to have fallen apart. Spent the past weeks trying to get everything back in order but it meant less time I was able to write. Sorry again.**

 **So a few things:**

 **Special thanks to _Red Velvet Panda_ for letting me use Velvet in this story. She was fun to write both in Firewatch and Firefalls and she just fit so well into the scenes. Thanks again for the amazing cover pic as well Red! I am still loving it. Think we all are. **

**We made it into the ZNN again! Thank you so much to DrummerMax64 for the amazing review on the main site! If you get a chance go check out the article and of course, check out the ZNN for all your Zootopia news needs! I wouldn't know half the stuff I do without them.**

 **I know we are in chapter 5 and it's still day 1 of Nick's training. Trust me that is gonna change soon. I know we are all missing Judy right now but I don't want to risk rushing past fun little bits to get her back here. I promise she is returning soon. And Delta too, for those of you who want more Delta...all 5 of you.**

 **I can't wait to start the next set chapters because I have fun plans ahead! Thank you all again for the reviews, follows, and favs!**

 **Pinecone!**

 **-Blue**


	6. Let's get started

-Let's get started-

The sun had long dipped behind the mountains that surrounded the town of Fairfax. The sky though still found a way to illuminate the valley in a kind of peaceful beauty. The stars seemed to shine so much brighter out in the wilderness. Nick couldn't help but take in a deep breath as his eyes slowly panned to take it all in.

Trisha was still leaning against the fox and Nick couldn't help but enjoy the tender moment he was sharing with his friend. After Trisha's Revelations about her concern for leaving Judy and her gratefulness to Nick for staying in the parks, the two had sat in a kind of peaceful silence.

The brown bunny at Nick's side would occasionally adjust herself to find a more comfortable position. Her fur however still stayed rubbing against Nick's own russet colored fur. That was probably why Nick felt it when the goosebumps on Trisha's fur suddenly formed. How the bunny tensed up and seemed to begin shaking in fear.

"Oh no…" Trisha let out in a frightened whisper.

"What?" Nick asked nervously as he looked down at the scared looking bunny next to him.

Trisha was looking straight ahead at the mountains that overlooked the small town in the valley. Nick slowly looked in the direction of the does gaze and suddenly realized something. One of the mountains seemed to be moving. It's peaks steadily growing taller and taller as the stars in the night sky were blocked by the gigantic shadow the mountain produced.

"I thought he was gone!" Trisha said as she leapt off the log and took a step closer to the ledge they had been sitting near.

"Who is he?!" Nick shouted as he too stood up.

"It's…" Trisha trailed off as a series of spotlights sparked to life from the town of Fairfax. The beams began to move across the sky as they searched for a target. Slowly and steadily the lights found their target and illuminated the mass towering over the town from the mountain. "Pineconezilla!"

The gigantic beast let out a deafening sound. Well, not so much deafening as it was like…well…like when you kind of shake a pinecone and it makes that odd noise like it has something broken inside it. Yeah, that noise but only super loud.

"Pineconezilla?!" Nick blurted out in shock as he stared at the pinecone which was easily taller than any skyscraper in Zootopia.

Trisha turned and leapt over the log which had been their peaceful stargazing seat just moments before.

"Truck!" the bunny shouted as she ran towards Nick's rusted vehicle. To the fox's surprise, the truck beeped its horn two times and rumbled to life. "Combat mode! Contact the other rangers!"

The truck beeped two more times and suddenly bounced two times on its worn front tires. The third time its tires cleared the ground and it began to transform. Two arms popped out from the side as the cab lifted upward and became a cockpit.

"Wait…what?" Nick asked in confusion.

"Come on ranger! We have a monster to fight!" Trisha shouted as she leapt into the air towards the truck. The bunny reached down and tore her uniform away to reveal a skin-tight blue flight suit clinging to the doe's curvy figure. She did a mid-air twirl and landed in the truck's cockpit.

"Seriously that wasn't mentioned in the ad online!" Nick pointed out, still stunned that his 23 mpg orange and rusted pickup truck was some kind of battle robot.

There was a loud thud next to Nick who turned in time to see another modified battle bot truck land nearby. This one piloted by Jen who gave the fox a salute. Another loud noise caused the fox's ears to twitch and he turned to see yet another vehicle land nearby. This one was an ice cream truck though. The fox tilted his head in confusion and noticed a blonde furred painted dog waving at him happily from the cockpit. Only to reach down and produce an ice cream cone which he began to lick at happily.

"Seriously Trisha is this part of the training?" Nick asked as he looked back at his now orange battle ready pick up truck.

"It's in the manual!" Trisha shouted through a speaker from the truck which began to shake and lift off the ground. A set of rockets popping out the backside of the truck which gave it enough thrust to lift off the ground.

"Trisha wait!" Nick shouted. "That's my ride!"

It was too late though. Nick watched in annoyance as the brown bunny stole his ride and began to pilot the battle truck towards the massive pinecone which was still looming over Fairfax as several helicopters did lazy circles around the monster, dumping orange fire retardant on the beast as it loomed in a loomey manner.

"Trisha wait…" Nick grumbled. "Trisha.."

"Niiiiiiiick," Came a sweet voice from somewhere above him.

"Mmm...Trisha…"

"Niiiiiick."

"Mmm…"

Nick suddenly popped his eyes open as a pair of paws grasped the fur in his cheeks and began to shake him.

"Wake up sleeping beauty!" Trisha said playfully as her bright blue eyes filled Nick's vision.

Nick realized he wasn't on the ledge overlooking Fairfax. No, he was back in his cabin, in his bed, with Trisha straddling his chest as she tried her best to wake up the sleeping fox.

"Oh for the love of…" Nick groaned realizing he had slept in. The attack on Fairfax having been a dream.

"Ok so three things," Trisha said with a happy smile, her paws on his cheeks.

"Mmm, what?" Nick grumbled as he just laid in bed trying to figure out why he had been having so many pinecone related dreams recently.

"We are gonna invest in an alarm clock for you till Judy gets back," Trisha chuckled. "That is unless you like my early morning wake up attacks."

"Cant you just call instead?" Nick groaned as he closed his eyes and smacked his lips. Trisha squeezed his cheeks once more which made his eyes bulged open.

"Two, it's your turn to buy breakfast," The bunny continued, ignoring the fox's suggestion.

"Fine…" Nick mumbled as his eyes closed once more.

"And Three," Trisha said in a light whisper as she leaned down so she was inches away from the fox's muzzle. "Why were you mumbling my name in your sleep?" Trisha asked mischievously

Trisha was tossed to the edge of the bed as Nick sat up suddenly, his eyes wide as he scrambled out from beneath the covers and headed to the bathroom, the does sweet laughs filling the bedroom behind him. After catching her breath Trisha wiped a tear from her eyes before falling back in Nick's bed. She stretched her arms up and let out a pleased noise as she closed those beautiful blues of hers.

"Let's get this started."

-Ranger Training Day 2-

Nick was wheezing as he held the stitch in his side. His panting was labored and he looked like he had just run a marathon.

"Come on, almost at mile marker one," Trisha said as she bounced in place near the fox.

"Running is evil," The fox managed to say between pants.

"It's not that bad," Trisha chuckled as she took a moment to put a paw against a tree and stretch one of her slender looking legs. The pair had changed out of their regular ranger apparel for something more fit for running. Nick was in a white shirt and had gone with a pair of black jogging shorts he had gotten in town. Trisha was in a green running top and matching shorts. A pinecone in a shield logo had been stamped on one of the cheeks of her shorts.

"Running is evil," Nick repeated, only this time he had his walkie-talkie keyed up,

"Oh my gosh isn't it?" Judy responded. "But its important your in shape."

"I know I know because of the ranger stuff…" Nick groaned.

"Oh no I meant for when I get back to the region," Judy teased.

Trisha giggled at her friends comment over the walkie and Nick noticed how a light blush went up the doe's ears.

"Tell ya what," Judy began after a pause on the frequency. "Why not make a game out of it."

"A game?" Nick asked, slightly intrigued.

"Sure," Judy said happily. "Where are you all?"

Trisha perked up and smiled at Nick, "Running trail near Thunder mines."

"The running trail near Thunder mines," Nick relayed the information.

"The first one to the old water tower at the edge of the camp gets a prize," Judy suggested.

Both Trisha and Nick's ears flicked at the suggestions.

"What kind of prize?" Trisha and Nick asked as one over the radio.

"A date with yours truly," Judy teased.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at the idea. He looked at the walkie for a moment and then to Trisha. Or at least where Trisha had been. To Nick's surprise, the doe was already several yards away, her ears behind her head as she dashed down the path towards the old Thunder mines.

"Pinecone," Nick cursed as he clipped the walkie to his side and broke out in a wild run to try and catch up to the bunny. "There is no way you are getting that date!"

"We are going to snuggle on the couch and watch kung fu movies and you aren't invited, Wilde!" Trisha shouted from her position ahead of Nick.

A few minutes later the pair were standing underneath the shade provided by an old wooden water tower. The white lettering spelling out an old mining company was all but completely faded away. Both mammals were panting and trying to drink up what oxygen they could. Nick had sprawled out on the ground, his chest rising rapidly. Trisha was nearby with her paws on her knees, the bunny had her eyes closed as she hung her head.

"So who won?" Judy's sweet voice came over the walkie.

"Hope you like Kung fu movies and snuggling on the couch," Nick groaned.

"That sounds like a Trisha victory," Judy giggled. "Don't worry Nick, runner-up gets to take Delta out to lunch."

"Why am I the runner-up prize?" Delta could be heard shouting in the background of Judy's transmission.

"Hope he likes Lynn's."

"I like being the runner up prize!" Delta corrected over the radio.

-Ranger Training Day 3-

While running had been a pain in the tail then hiking was in a category all to itself. Sure Nick wasn't exactly panting but his legs grew rather sore thanks to the incline they were occasionally on. It wasn't always a steady walk up a rising path though. Oh no, that would have actually been rather pleasant. Trisha had somehow picked a path that ended at certain climbing points. Nick had thought once they reached the first wall it was time to turn around. He then looked down at the doe and felt the color drain from his face as he realized Trisha was producing a set of gloves from her bag. She held the black climbing gloves out to Nick and smiled.

"You have got to be kitting," The fox grumbled.

"Oh come on Nick, it will be fun," Trisha teased as she put on her own gloves.

"Trisha is trying to make me go over a cliff," Nick grumbled into his walkie-talkie.

"Oh Hiking today? This should be no problem for the fox that managed to scale _My boss is trying to get me killed mountain_ ," Judy replied playfully.

"What hiking difficulty is that one?" Trisha asked as she tilted her head, her ears falling to one side.

"Last time I did anything like this I remember my butt being especially sore," Nick groaned.

Trisha burst out laughing as she stretched her arms, "Listen I don't know what you and Judy call hiking but with the rangers, it involves the outdoors and occasionally scaling a small wall. But remind me to ask Judy how you two hike."

Nick rolled his eyes at the bunny's comments but put the set of gloves on none the less. Trisha gave Nick a few tips on how to stretch for the climb. The fox grew somewhat worried as to why they were prepping like this and only wearing a pair of gloves for protection.

"It's not like we are scaling a mountain," Trisha pointed out. "Just gonna climb up for a minute or two and then there is a path with a nice breeze."

"Lousy bunnies…always trying to find creative ways to end me," Nick grumbled into his walkie which earned a sweet laughter from the device.

"Oh come on now," Judy replied. "If it makes ya feel any better Delta and I haven't exactly been just strolling around. Lots of fallen trees to navigate around and the occasional rock slide on the path here and there."

"Yeah but you have the painted protector with you," Nick pointed out. "I have…"

Right on cue Trisha turned and gave Nick a wicked smile followed by a wink.

"Trisha.." Nick finished his sentence, Trisha didn't seem phased by the fox's tone and giggled.

"FYI, Delta loves his new nickname," Judy chuckled. "And also Trisha will look after you. She knows the price of failure."

"Whats that?"

"Death by Pinecone.." Both Trisha and Judy said at once. Which was both amusing and slightly odd what with Trisha gazing off into the distance, a look of worry in her brilliant blue eyes.

A few minutes later Nick was taking a moment to catch his breath. Both the bunnies had been right, this wasn't exactly the most dangerous of climbs. The grade was steep but it wasn't like he would fall to his death if he slipped up. At the most, he would probably just slide down the steady slope and end up on the path they had just left behind. And if he missed that part then he would probably just tumble until he stopped in some bushes.

"You know Nick," Trisha said as she took a moment to wipe some sweat from her brown and look over her shoulder. "Some mammals would kill for the view you are getting right now."

Nick took a moment to look out across the valley just below them. He had to admit it was actually rather beautiful and-

"Not that one," Trisha teased.

Nick was somewhat confused and looked up. His eyes widening as he realized what Trisha was getting at. From his position beneath Trisha, he had a perfect view of the rabbit's rather supple rear. Her tight green shorts hugged to her rump in a rather attractive way. To add to the effect Trisha took a moment to wiggle her butt at Nick, complete with a tail flick.

"Trisha won't stop shaking her booty over my head," Nick mumbled into the radio.

"I say just enjoy the view," Judy shot back playfully. There was a sudden scuffling noise over the frequency before Delta's voice replaced Judy's.

"Take pictures!" The other canine shouted which caused Nick to close his eyes and shake his head.

"Yeah lots of pictures," Judy teased.

"Only if they were of a certain wolf," Nick teased, hinting at the old game Judy and he played last season.

For a good part of Nick's firewatcher career, he didn't actually know what species Judy was and they had played a game guessing what she could be. At one point she had been a wolf and the two spent hours saying what wolfy things she may be doing out in the woods. The thing is Trisha and Delta weren't as quick to realize what Nick was talking about.

A pinecone came whizzing past Nick's head which caused him to yelp in surprise. The fox looked up to see a rather angry looking Trisha glaring down at him.

"What wolf you talking about?" She growled. "You have a perfectly good bunny wanting to come back to you!" The doe continued as she managed to pull another pinecone from her bag.

 _She packed pinecones?!_

"Trisha wait!" Nick shouted as he waved a paw to try and stop from getting pine-coned in the face. "Its all a jo-" Nick forgot that with one paw holding his walkie he had depended on the other one to keep him from falling down the side of the steady incline. As he tried to wave his free paw in the air he began to lose his balance and felt one of his feet give way.

He tried to grab a nearby rock with his other paw but it had the walkie-talkie in it so he couldn't get a good grip.

"Nick!" Trisha shouted as she scurried down the side of the slope. She reached the fox just in time and grabbed his wrist and pulled. Causing the fox who had started to slide to stop for a moment. The two caught their breaths for a moment and smiled at one another. Nick's green eyes saying what his ragged breathing was keeping him from saying. Before Trisha could make a silly comment however she slid slightly. Her bright blue eyes widened with realization as she began to slide a few more inches. "This may hurt in a second…"

Trisha's weight was not enough to keep them anchored to the side of the slope and the pair began to lose their gripping. There was a pause and the two remained completely silent as if the slightest noise would cause them to fall.

"So I just had to calm Delta down," Judy came back laughing over the walkie. "He was about to call Chris and ask if you two had started a secret romance!"

Both Nick and Trisha began to laugh at Judy's suggestion only to freeze when they both slid a foot down the slope. The foot then turned into two, then three, until they both began to tumble down the side of the mountain they had just hiked up. Both of them let out painful grunts and yelps as they hit small bushes and the occasional pinecone. With a sickening thump, they both came to a stop against a tree. Nick was laying on his back with his eyes closed. Trisha had somehow landed on Nick's stomach, her head buried in his chest.

"That sucked," The pain in Trisha's voice only slightly muffled by the fabric of Nick's shirt.

"Where are we?" Nick groaned as he rubbed his throbbing head.

"Bottom of Dutch mountain…" Trisha groaned, remaining on top of Nick, the fox couldn't blame her though, the thought of moving did not sound like a good one. All the muscles in his body ached and he had a feeling there was going to be some bruising later.

Nick slowly raised his walkie to his lips and whispered into the mic, "So Trisha and I are now renaming Dutch mountain to… _Ow, my aching back hill of doom_ …"

-Ranger Training Day 4-

The lock on the door to the darkened cabin made a soft clicking noise. A small brown paw gingerly pushed the large wooden door open as a mischievous looking bunny tiptoed into the bedroom where a large lump laid curled up underneath the covers.

Trisha had to do her best to contain her excitement as her eyes narrowed on the mass covered by the sheets. She controlled the fits of giggles that wanted to escape as she turned back to the other side of the door. It took her a second but she finally managed to lift the large water balloon from the bucket she had been carrying it in. The water in the bucket sloshed and made a clinking noise as the ice cubs bumped into one another. She had to admit this was a little cruel but she also really wanted to do it. Judy had told her, after all, to make sure Nick was woken up bright and early so he could get as much training in as he could.

The bunny slowly slid her paws across the floor in an attempt to muffle her movements. She lifted the water balloon over her head but froze suddenly as her ears raised up. She detected something, it was breathing, but it wasn't coming from the comforters on the bed. Trisha slowly turned her head to see Nick standing already dressed leaning against the wall just behind the door.

The fox took a step forward and put his paws on his hips as he leaned forward.

"You're going to have to get up pretty early in the morning now to-" Nick began but Trisha didn't wait. She lobbed the water balloon of ice cold water at the fox.

Meanwhile, outside the cabin Erin, a sweet looking pig with bright blonde hair dressed in a park supervisor uniform was taking a moment to enjoy the brisk morning air. She stood on the small porch of her cabin and breathed in the fresh aroma of her coffee which had just been brewed by her boyfriend who was currently getting ready for his own day at work. Many of the mammals in Camp Currie worked in various regions or departments of the Park Service so it wasn't uncommon to see employees of various regions getting ready for their day in the parks.

Erin's calm morning, however, was momentarily interrupted when the door to the cabin next to hers burst open. Trisha darted from the cabin, laughing uncontrollably as a soaking wet Nick chased after her.

"Morning Erin!" Trisha shouted as she whizzed by.

"Trisha."

"Hey Erin," Nick manage to pipe up as he hurried after Trisha.

"Nick."

The pig took a sip from her coffee mug as if this was all normal. Erin reminding herself that she wasn't in charge of the rangers and whatever mischief they got into was Skye's problem.

After Nick changed into a dry set of clothes the pair visited Lynn's for what must have been the 4th time that week. Not that Nick minded at all. The roadside diner was slowly becoming one of his favorite places to eat. Lynn had been extremely warm and welcoming to the fox. Even Taconny had grown on Nick. Like a fungus or maybe a growth of some kind. Even he had to admit that the bunny had a way of making him smile. The black spotted doe would always come rushing through the restaurant when she heard Nick and Trisha enter. Trisha would receive a quick hug and nuzzle only to be pushed aside as the bunny eyed the fox's fluffy tail. Nick kept wondering what it was with bunnies and playing with his tail. Of course, he did remember spending hours upon hours just laying in bed with Judy's long ears in his paws. He would occasionally run his digits down the doe's back, eliciting a soft moan from the snoozing bunny. The moan would deepen whenever Nick reached Judy's rump, giving her tail a gentle squeeze.

Once they were done with breakfast, Trisha having paid as a way of making it up to the still somewhat damp fox, the doe directed Nick to drive them to Lake Plowfox. She then pulled her phone out and proceeded to text some of her friends. This had started a day or so ago. Trisha would tell Nick the location they needed to head to and it was up to the fox to figure out how to get there. It had actually been one of Judy's ideas. Reminding Trisha that they needed Nick to be the very best which meant homework. Nick would spend his nights talking to Judy over the radio as she and Delta continued their tour of the damaged regions. The fox would have a large map opened up on their bed and he would study different locations. Occasionally asking Judy a little history of certain spots on the map. Much to his surprise Judy not only knew most places but had a story about them. Nick then made it his goal to find a place the bunny didn't know about so they could go there together and make new memories. So far he had only found a pawful of places. Small lakes here and there or a nature trail way off the beaten path. Still, though he had a feeling they could find a way to make them special.

Sometimes Judy wouldn't be available but that didn't mean Nick was met with silence over the radio. Delta was always happy to chat with Nick. The pair of canines had become rather fast friends. After what they had been through together it was no surprise though. Delta would happily give Nick tips on how to handle Trisha when she was being a little over the top. Nick taking notes as to how to handle the bubbly brown bunny. Sometimes Delta would admit there was little that could be done and it was best to just let the doe have her way. Even if it meant Nick had to lay there and be used like some kind of pillow.

Today though Trisha seemed to be in a more calm state. Maybe having soaked the fox with the icey water balloon had been enough to slate her playful nature.

Once they had arrived at Lake Plowfox Trisha informed Nick that she had managed to squeeze them into a last-minute CPR class. All rangers had to have their CPR and first aid certifications which meant Nick needed to get one before going on patrol. They had arrived a little early however and Trisha told Nick to take a seat under a tree near the pebble-strewn beach that surrounded the rather large lake. A mountain in the distance sat directly over the lake and Nick noticed a damaged fence sat on the edge of the rocks. He tilted his head in curiosity but his attention was brought back to Trisha who produced a book from her backpack. The green bound book looked worn as if it had been used many times in the past. Trisha looked at the book with a kind of fondness reserved for mammals staring at something they truly cared about. Nick noticed the book had the parks logo drawn on it, though it had started to fade Nick still recognized it.

"So I know how important becoming a ranger is to you," Trisha said as she ran a paw over the book and then looked up at Nick. The fox could tell this was one of those moments it was best to let Trisha finish her thoughts uninterrupted. "I think it will help you. Sorry it has taken me so long to show this to you…its just…it's a long story."

Nick reached out and gently grabbed the top of the book but felt some resistance as Trisha held on.

"Please take care of this Nick…its…rare," Trisha said nervously, the sweetness in her smile had some hesitation mixed in. "Read it, learn it, and one day you will become an amazing ranger like me."

With that, the doe hurried off to a small wooden shack with a medical flag blowing in the wind. Nick watched doe hurry off and tilted his head in confusion. He then looked down at the manual in his paws. It was obviously very old. He wondered why it had taken Trisha so long to show it to him and why she acted the way she did when she showed Nick.

The fox took a seat in the grass beneath the large tree. The way the wind blew above his head made the leaves play out a sweet sounding song. Nick closed his eyes and let the world around him play its unique tune before he retrieved his walkie.

"So I finally got my paws on a ranger manual. Kept wondering if we had one," Nick chuckled as he ran a paw over the green book.

"Stuck at the office today?" Judy chuckled.

"No Lake Plowfox," Nick corrected. "Trisha gave it to me while she sets up a class for us."

There was a pause over the radio before Delta came over the frequency. "Trisha let you take those boring binders out of the office? Oh, Skye is gonna be ticked!"

"Binders?" Nick responded with some confusion.

"Yeah. Skye said we needed a proper manual a few years back and made like 4 of these big white binders filled with some of the driest and boring operational guidelines I have ever read," Delta explained.

Judy's voice came over the radio once more, "In fairness, it is important to read those. I mean anything to help you become the very best right Two forks?"

"Well it looks like Trisha left the binders back at the Rock Pile," Nick chuckled as he flipped open the cover of the book. He noticed nothing was typed out on the pages but paw written in a rather eloquent way. "She brought this green book with us today."

There was a pause over the frequency before Judy returned.

"A green book?" The doe asked with some hesitation. "Does it have the Parks Logo painted on the front?"

"Faded but yeah its right here," Nick commented as he ran a digit over the worn cover.

"I…I don't know what to say," Judy said, sounding slightly shocked at this news.

"Everything ok Carrots?" Nick asked as he opened the small book and looked at the first page. The writing, though slightly faded, was still legible. There were just a few words on the stained page: Ranger Expectations by T. Roosevelt.

"Nick that book," Judy began to say in a soft yet sweet tone, "It's not just a book. It's something more…"

"A really good book?" Nick teased.

"Nick, how much do you know about the Parks department?" Judy asked over the radio.

"Well, I know they process my paychecks in a prompt and timely manner so…"

"No I mean its history," Judy chuckled.

"Well…umm…" Nick looked up at the leaves of the tree he was sitting against and realized he actually didn't know too much about the department he now worked for.

"Settle in Two Forks, I have a story for you," Judy said proudly.

"Oh this will be good," Nick laughed as he looked down at the book in his paws and flipped through its stained pages. There were notes, sketches, even a short poem or two. Not exactly something Nick would expect to find in an official guidebook made by the parks department. Of course, all of it was paw written so there was a chance this wasn't exactly a massed produced text. It was probably written by some pencil pusher a long time ago. Someone tasked with creating a series of rules for the Rangers to follow.

"When Zootopia was first founded it wasn't exactly the large metropolis you know," Judy began releasing her part of the channel for a comment she knew Nick would want to make.

"Really? Thought the place just sprouted out of the ground overnight."

"Close…but not at all," Judy giggled. "No, it used to be a small town. Smaller than Fairfax. Then it grew and it grew fast. Companies were desperate for lumber and other resources so they came out here. They mined, milled, and chopped up the forest."

"Which is bad," Nick commented.

"Very, all those trees, the rivers running dry, the mountains gutted.."

"Oh that too," Nick chimed in.

"What did you mean then?"

"No forest, no Firewatch job," Nick began. "No Firewatch job then no you…and that is not a world I want to live in."

"Stop…" Judy said with a giggle. Nick could hear Delta in the background of the frequency cracking up.

"Geeze Hopps thought you had gray fur not red!" The painted ranger teased.

Nick chuckled at the ranger's comment about his bunny and waited for Judy to continue her story.

"Anyways!" Judy said firmly which caused Nick to sit up a little straighter as he flipped through the manual, only paying half attention to the notes within. "Well, a certain mammal saw what was happening to our national treasures. He became concerned with what kind of world we would leave our kits and cubs. So he took it upon himself to push for conservation."

It was at that moment Nick came to the last page in the book. In the center of the page was a message from the author:

" _There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, it's melancholy and it's charm."_

" _As a Ranger, you are expected to protect this land of mystery and all those who seek solitude in this truly magnificent realm. Stand tall and know you have both my respect and admiration for undertaking this duty."_

"Of course being president didn't hurt his cause," Judy continued.

It was at that moment Nick's eyes went wide as he heard Judy's play over in his mind.

"President?" Nick asked as he flipped back to the front page of the book.

"Yes," Judy said, her voice filled with pride. "He is considered to be the Parks Department, unofficial founder. One of the greatest presidents of all time. Theodore Roosevelt."

As Judy said the name Nick read the author's name once more: T. Roosevelt.

"They sure don't make 'em like that anymore," Delta chimed in over the frequency.

"No, they don't," Judy agreed having gotten back on the airwaves. "They also don't make books like the one you are holding anymore Nick."

Nick rubbed a paw across the pages. The book seemed heavier now. Not in a way where it was a burden though, no, now it had more meaning to it.

"I don't know how Trisha got a hold of that book, she won't tell anyone, not even me!" Judy explained. "Nick if she is letting you borrow it. You must understand that's a big deal."

A shadow crept over Nick and he looked up to see Trisha standing over him. He couldn't explain it but there was something about her. The way her ears were raised but arched at the top told Nick she was both listening to the conversation and somewhat deep in thought as to what to say.

"I know, it means a lot to me," Nick said over the radio. "Any idea why she would let a bum like me see this?"

The question was meant for both Judy on the radio and Trisha who stood in front of the fox with a look of embarrassment.

"No idea, I know I wouldn't let you get your grimy paws all over it," Judy teased.

Trisha shrugged and remained silent.

"Well if you excuse me, this grimy pawed fox has some studying to do before that mad bunny comes back," Nick teased as he gave Trisha a wink.

"Sounds good, Delta and I are about to make contact with one of the conservation teams out here. I'll talk to ya later Two Forks."

"Cya Carrots," Nick said before he clipped the walkie-talkie to his side. He looked down at the book only to look back up at Trisha who had a somewhat proud smile on her lips as she rocked on her paws in front of the fox.

"Why?" Nick asked as he closed the cover to the small green book and tapped it with his knuckles.

Trisha actually looked a little embarrassed as she put her paws behind her back and rocked back and forth. She looked at the lake and then back to Nick.

"Do I really need a reason?" She asked with an uncharacteristic hesitant smile.

"Trisha…this…it really means-"

"I know," Trisha cut Nick off and gave the fox one of her signature winks.

The words lingered in the air between the two mammals who seemed content with just smiling stupidly at one another.

"You two ready?" Came a shout from the building nestled near the lake. A slender cheetah standing near a large open doorway.

"Coming Tams!" Trisha shouted in return as she reached a paw out to Nick.

The fox took a second to look up at the bunny smiling at him before reaching up and taking her paw. Trisha helped Nick up and turned back to the lake. With a skip in her step, the bunny led Nick towards the water where the cheetah was waiting nearby with several other mammals in red and white outfits. A series of crosses on all their outfits.

Trisha took a sec to reach over and take the Ranger Expectation book from Nick and put it back in her backpack. She gave the fox a wink signaling that he would have more time to read it later.

"Alright everyone so we have some folks from the Rangers department joining us today for our CPR cert," The cheetah announced as she stood in front of the class.

Nick took a moment to look over at the cheetah and suddenly a rather smug smirk crossed his lips.

"Any fireworks in this class?" Nick asked playfully.

The cheetah was slightly confused at first as she turned to look at Nick when a sudden realization came over her. The cheetah began to blush before stammering something out.

"Fi…Firewatcher?"

Nick resisted the urge to burst out laughing as the two recognized one another.

"You look good in that outfit Tammy," Nick complimented as he strolled past the cheetah to take a position with the other members of his class. The comment was a jab at the feline who Nick had met during his time as a Firewatcher. Tammy along with two of her friends had been caught by the fox skinny dipping in Lake Jonsey launching fireworks.

"Oh that's a story tone right there," Trisha chuckled as she stepped next to Tammy and smiled.

"I uh….ok so first class we need to make sure the patient is breathing!" The instructor tried to change the subject and get the class on track.

-Ranger Training Day 5-

Nick did the final button on his shirt and closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath before opening them once more and looking ahead at the large mirror that hung in the corner of the changing room.

 _Wait till mom sees this…_

The fox barely recognized himself but at the same time, he felt this was something he was made for. Nick was dressed in a long sleeve dark gray shirt and long green hiking pants. The ranger logo had been sewn just above his breast pocket.

Trisha had told him while most ranger uniforms looked the same he had the ability to customize certain parts. Nick took a moment to try something and rolled up his sleeves. Going for a more casual look. Apparently, Edward had thought of this ahead of time because two straps popped out from Nick's sleeves which made it easier for him to secure them just above the elbows.

This was just one of several different outfits. All of them were currently hanging around the large changing room. There was a dress uniform that Trisha told Nick should be worn whenever working an event or ceremony. There was a cold weather set, summer set, standard casual. Nick felt a little overwhelmed when he had been handed all the different uniforms but Trisha had reminded him that Judy would probably tell him which one she wanted to see him in whenever the time came. This earned a laugh from the fox who had to admit Trisha had a point.

Right on cue the door to the changing room slowly opened and clicked closed behind the bunny who had entered.

"Anyone ever teach you how to knock?" Nick chuckled, had the bunny come in just a minute earlier she would have seen quite the-

"Hey, there Two Forks," A sweet voice like a lullaby floated in the air. Nick felt his ears twitch and his heart start to race.

How was it he had forgotten just how beautiful that voice was? How every time he heard her speak it was like he was falling in love all over again? How just a single word from those luscious lips of hers was enough to make his whole world brighter?

Nick turned to see Judy standing in front of the closed door to the changing room. She looked a little worn out. Bits of forest were stuck in her fur. She probably hadn't showered in days and was now covered with a fine layer of dirt, ash, and who knew what else. To Nick thought she was still the most beautiful sight.

The two stood in silence for only a moment before they both took a step towards one another. The space between them vanished as Nick wrapped the small doe up in a strong hug.

"Sorry if I smell bad," Judy whispered into the fox's chest as she buried her nose in his stomach and took a deep breath. "I just…really missed you and as soon as I heard you and Trisha were on your way to pick up your uniforms I-"

Nick didn't let her finish. He couldn't. He had been dreaming of those lips of hers for several days now and the fact they weren't pressed against his was starting to become painful. The fox put a paw underneath Judy's chin and tilted her head upwards as he leaned down. Their lips met and he felt the bunny in his grasp shiver as she let out a purr into the kiss.

Neither of them kept track of how long the kiss lasted. Not really caring for the construct of time when they were together they could have been there for a minute or an hour. When the couple finally parted Judy still had her eyes closed as she put her chin against the fox's chest.

"Mmmmm….I missed that," Judy said playfully as she kept her arms wrapped around Nick's waist.

"And I missed you," Nick whispered as he ran a paw down one of Judy's ears. "You and all your rather unique forest smells."

Judy snorted at Nick's joke as she opened her eyes.

"I like to think I smell nice," She said as she wiggled her nose.

"Well once you get past the smell of the ashtray," Nick teased as he leaned down and buried his muzzle in the side of Judy's neck which caused the doe to squeak happily as her wonderful giggles filled the changing room. "That's better."

"Nick stop that tickles!" Judy gasped as she squirmed in the vulpine's arms.

There was a loud knock on the door that caused them both to jump.

"I am running a tailoring service here not a motel," Edward said from the other side of the door.

Judy blushed but remained in Nick's grasp.

"Sorry Ed," Nick responded casually. "But you really should think of putting a bed in here or something could really help bring in some extra business."

A minute later Nick and a still blushing Judy exited the changing room, Nick carrying all his uniforms over his shoulder. Judy holding Nick's free paw as she skipped alongside her fox.

"Everything fit great Ed," Nick proclaimed as he approached the counter where the large tiger was busying himself with another order.

"You expected any different?"

"Not at all," Nick chuckled. "You wouldn't happen to make tuxes would ya?"

Judy snorted at Nick's comment and then looked around the store, a confused expression crossing her lovely face.

"Hey Edward, where are Trisha and Delta?"

"Oh, those two?" The tiger said with a laugh. "Well after I finally managed to pry them off one another Trisha said that they had some 'Ranger Business' to attend to and then hurried out the door….with your truck keys I am afraid."

Nick groaned, he had left his keys with Trisha so he didn't lose them when trying on all the different uniforms.

"Well it looks like you are driving Carrots," Nick said as he turned to smile down at his bunny.

Judy had a nervous look on her face as she smiled up at Nick, "I didn't drive here. We were dropped off by someone from the parks service who was passing through town."

Nick let his ears droop along with his eyelids. He then turned to Edward and placed the uniforms on the counter. "Mind watching those for me big guy? Don't want to have to lug them to the movie theater."

Edward picked the uniforms off the counter and placed them on a series of hangers. "I close at 6 so if you're not back by then.."

"Then I will be training in my boxers for a bit," The fox joked. He then turned to Judy and grasped her paw in his and led the doe towards the exit of the store.

"Movie theater?" Judy asked excitedly. "What movie are we seeing?"

"Like it matters?" Nick asked suggestively. He turned to give Judy a wink which caused the doe to blush as her mouth hung open.

"I am so glad to be back," Judy exclaimed as she began to pick up the pace.

The theater on Main Street was showing an old black and white western that afternoon. Of course the fox and bunny curled up in the back row didn't see a single frame.

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers,**

 **So long time right? I am sorry for the long wait again. I am working a ton of hours these days at work and things have gotten very stressful both in my work and personal life. I am doing my best to write a few sentences here and there when I get the chance but it is just so rare these days to have free time.**

 **I am hoping things clear up soon so I can put more time into this fun hobby of mine.**

 **All of my stories are important to me. None of them are fully abandoned but they are seeing extended wait times between updates.**

 **Thank you all for your patience during this crazy time.**

 **Now that Judy is back in town how about some fun Wildehopps? Oh and maybe some Trelta! :P**

 **Quote credit time!**

 **The first quote at the end of the Ranger expectations book is an actual quote from one of my hero's President Theodore Roosevelt.**


	7. Weekends are for the buns

-Weekends are for the buns-

It was morning. The exact time was not important to Nick. Nothing really was that important to him right now. He was listening to one of his favorite sounds in the world and frankly, nothing else really existed to him.

Judy took in another breath as she continued to sleep, curled up against her fox who had her wrapped up in his arms.

There it was again. How could something so simple as breathing be such a wonderful sound to Nick? Every time Judy took a breath Nick held his own, not wanting to miss a single note of the sweet song that was his bunny's breathing.

 _How am I this into her? She is just sleeping for crying out-_

Judy took another breath followed by a soft moan. Her nose wiggled slightly as she continued to dream.

 _You are never allowed to leave this region again!_

Nick ran a paw down Judy's ears and gave them a gentle squeeze. The petting must have triggered something in the sleeping bunny as she scooted closer to Nick and burrowed into him. He absolutely adored it when she did this. The way her paws tightened on the tuff's of fur she had grabbed, how her eyes tightened shut, the way she just buried herself into Nick because being an inch apart was too far for her.

The world could end right then and there and Nick wouldn't mind at all. He was content, he was happy, he was loved.

As the rays of the sunlight managed to penetrate through the gaps in Nick's blinds the fox just laid in bed and held his doe close.

Judy had been absolutely exhausted from her time out in the damaged regions of the forest. So exhausted that she hadn't even told Nick about her adventure.

When she had made the surprise appearance at the tailors the previous day, the time had just sped up till it was a blur.

Nick remembered how they had hurried over to the movie theater. Desperate to find a place where they could be alone. When the lights dimmed in the theater the tired doe found a sudden spurt of energy and pinned herself against the fox. Nick wasn't very surprised since he had been thinking of doing the same thing to her. They sat through the whole movie in a loving embrace. The occasional gasp for air was the only sound that came from the couple. Only when the movie had ended did they realize how sore their jaws had become.

From there it was a quick dinner pick up from Lynn's and then back to Nick and Judy's cabin. Dinner had been a simple affair. Judy wasn't that hungry herself and was more tired than anything. Nick decided it was best for them to call it a night early and the couple had curled up together in their bed.

As Nick continued to watch Judy sleep in his arms his cell phone started to buzz on the bedside table.

Nick's eyes went wide and he looked over at the device. He reached over and wondered who would be calling him this early in the morning. The fox grumbled to himself as he sat up in bed. The bunny at his side let out a soft groan and began to stir but Nick pulled her close to him and after an ear stroke or two, she drifted back into Dreamland.

It wasn't until he looked at the screen of his cellphone that he realized what time it was. The morning had come and gone and it was now early in the afternoon. Judy had been far more tired than Nick had first thought. The bunny was now getting close to the 14-hour mark when it came to sleeping.

A picture of a certain brown bunny was also on Nick's screen along with a nickname.

Video call from Trisha the Pinecone queen!

Nick chuckled at the image and name that the bunny had made for herself on the fox's phone. He slid the answer button across the screen and the fox was greeted by a friendly face.

"She still sleeping too?" Trisha asked with a playful smile.

Trisha was not in her normal ranger outfit. Instead, she had a dark green shirt on. Her head was resting on a wooden headrest that looked like the one Nick was currently using to support himself.

"Yeah, Delta?" Nick asked with a smile.

Trisha smirked and nodded. She then moved the phone slightly and showed Nick the top of the painted dogs head which was currently resting on the bunny's lap.

"You think they went on some crazy long hike or something?" Trisha joked as she brought the screen back to her lovely face. "But have to admit he sure is cute when he sleeps."

"About as cute as my little snoozer," Nick added as he flipped the phone's camera so Trisha could see the bunny still curled up at his side.

"Bawww," Trisha gushed. "I miss that.."

"Miss what?" Nick asked as he brought the camera back to his handsome muzzle.

"Cuddling with that cute bun back at Thorofare," Trisha teased as she wiggled her nose.

Nick raised an eyebrow as he looked at the bunny on the other side of the call.

"Oh not like that," Trisha rolled her bright blue eyes. "Sometimes I would be stuck out in that region for a bit and needed someone to just..well..cuddle with. I'm sure you noticed we bunnies are super good at cuddling."

Nick smiled at how bashful Trisha had suddenly become. The does eyes darted around for a second before falling back on Nick.

"Judy is a pro that's for sure," Nick said playfully.

"That she is," Trisha said in a dreamlike state.

"You two are probably gonna do a lot of that on your little Kung Fu movie date."

Trisha giggled and rolled her eyes, "I was just joking Nick."

"I'm not," The fox said with a warm smile.

Trisha fell silent and gave the fox a pensive look.

"I um…"

"Listen," Nick began as he adjusted himself on the bed and gave Judy a squeeze. "You were here first. I'm not gonna make you two stop whatever it is you two do."

"Cuddle and look adorable?"

Nick snorted but nodded.

"The way I see it you are Judy's best friend. Just because she and I are mates doesn't mean-"

"Mates?" Trisha asked excitedly as her eyes brightened.

Nick froze. The words had just come out. It was all so casual and it felt so right to say that he hadn't thought much about it.

"I um…well..that is to say."

The fox trailed off when he saw the biggest of smiles suddenly appear on Trisha's face. The brown bunny seemed to be shaking with excitement.

"Did you do that mark stuff you foxes do?"

Nick didn't realize his eyes could go wide but they did. The fox looked down at the doe sleeping in his arms. She nuzzled slightly and exposed some of her chin to him. The very spot that if he wanted to he could put his scent. To bond with her in such a way few mammals understood. Foxes, while considered to be sly and cunning, actually had many other traits that folks seemed to forget. Many of them were loyal, caring, and hopeless romantics. To be bonded and marked was a very big deal. Was he ready for such a thing? To let another in they

"nick?" Trisha asked softly.

Nick came back to reality, having lost himself in thought as he looked down at the bunny asleep in his arms.

"Sorry, just kind of drifted off there.." The fox said in a low mumble.

"I shouldn't pry that was my-"

"No, your fine Trisha," Nick said as he looked back at the brown bunny on his screen. "And to answer your question no…I haven't done that yet."

Trisha tilted her head slightly as her lips curled, "Yet?"

Nick closed his eyes and smiled, shaking his head slightly as he ran a paw up Judy's side which made the snoozing bunny purr.

There were a few seconds of silence as Nick just sat there with his eyes closed, the way Judy's fur felt against his was wonderful. Her scent was intoxicating. The noises she made as she slept we're like some kind of sweet song. While Judy probably possessed all these traits before they seemed to be amplified as of late.

Was it because she had been gone for so long? Was it because she had finally returned? Or was it another reason? One that was so blatantly obvious that he would be a fool not to give in.

Nick finally opened his eyes and took in a deep breath before speaking.

"Yet."

Trisha's eyes brightened and began to water. The smile on her lips intensified and she seemed to be shaking with excitement.

"Just don't tell her ok?"

Trisha remained silent and nodded quickly, the stupid grin on her face never faltering.

Nick rolled his eyes and wondered if Trisha would just suddenly explode with excitement.

The bunny froze however as a thought must have crossed her mind.

"Does that mean no more Kung Fu movies and cuddles?" Trisha asked nervously.

Nick snorted and shook his head, "No, I won't deny my Judy her Trisha time."

Trisha began to shake once more with happiness.

There was a groan in the bunny's side of the screen and the doe looked down.

"Hey there my sweet painted snore machine," Trisha whispered. She then looked up at Nick. "This conversation ain't over Wilde."

"Had a feeling you would say that."

"Talk later?"

"Sure Trisha," Nick let out a yawn before saying his farewell. "I'll talk to ya later.

"Pinecone!"

"Pinecone."

With that, the screen on Nick's phone went blank as Trisha hung up. The fox looked down at the bunny who let out a soft sigh as she continued to slumber. Nick leaned down and buried his muzzle into the fur between Judy's ears and gave her a gentle smooch.

"Mmm..Nick.." The doe whispered as she stirred, only to drift off once more.

"I'm right here Judy, I'm right here."

A pair of the most vibrant and beautiful purple eyes fluttered open as the bunny in Nick's arms looked up at him.

"Mmm morning…" Judy said as she let out a long yawn.

"Afternoon," Nick corrected her in a loving manner.

"Oh gosh really?" Judy asked with a light chuckle as she reached up and rubbed the sleeping from her eyes. "Sorry I guess that hike took it out of me more than I thought."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Nick said as he leaned down and gave his bunny a peck on the forehead. "Didn't mind just listen to you snore and talk in your sleep."

Judy tensed up suddenly at the fox's comment.

"Talk?"

"Oh yes," Nick teased. The bunny had actually been rather quiet while she slumbered but that didn't stop him from messing with her. "It was pinecone this and two forks that."

"Oh thank goodness," Judy let out with a sigh as she closed her eyes and rested her head against Nick's chest once more. "For a second I thought I was talking about Trisha again."

The cabin was filled with squeaks and giggles followed by a this as Judy squirmed free from Nick who had started an onslaught of tickles.

"Ah, Nick no!" Judy squealed as the fox grabbed hold of one of her ankles. "Noooooooo! I was kitting!"

Nick knew Judy was telling the truth since she had been quiet the whole time. That didn't stop him though from running his digits up Judy's paws. The gray doe froze and tensed up suddenly, trying her best to keep in the fits of laughter from escaping her lips. She didn't even last a second as her mouth popped open. The sweet laughter from Judy made Nick's heart swell. So much that Judy's pleading for mercy may have gone unnoticed for a minute or two.

When Nick was satisfied Judy had learned her lesson, whatever it was, the fox laid back against the bedpost and looked at the bunny currently sprawled out on the bed, her back rising up as she caught her breath.

"I should be mad at you for that you cruel cruel fox you," Judy said, her voice muffled by the blankets. She then got on all fours and crawled over to the fox, plopping down on top of him. "but I missed you too much."

"Missed you too carrots," Nick said as he stroked the bunny's ears.

"Besides I didn't have a dream about Trisha," Judy grumbled.

"I kno-"

"It was about Delta," Judy cut the fox off. She had learned her lesson, somewhat, last time and pushed herself off the fox before he could catch her. Nick let out a grunt as he fell flat on the bed, his bunny having used her strong legs to propel herself off the bed.

Nick took a moment to look over at his giggling bunny as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh really?" Nick asked as he scrambled off the bed.

Judy let out a squeak as her ears fell behind her head. The couple spent the next few minutes running around the cabin. Judy darting over the wooden furniture with a determined-looking Nick close behind her.

Though Judy was quick, Nick had his size on his side. He managed to double back around the kitchen table. Judy saw it coming and tried to dart underneath the table, giggling the whole time. Her giggling stopped when her leg was caught by a strong fox paw.

"Ah!" Judy let out in surprise as she was dragged back towards a smirking Nick. "No! The mighty fox has caught its prey."

"And now…" Nick said with a toothy grin.

He placed his paws on Judy's slender waist which caused the bunny to squirm, her bright purple eyes pleading for mercy. She would not have any.

Nick wiggled his digits which caused the doe to squeak and gasp for air between fits of laughter.

The attack didn't last very long this time much to Judy's gratefulness. Nick leaned down and nuzzled his nose into Judy's neck and took in a deep breath. The bunny wrapping her arms around Nick's neck, wanting to keep him close.

"You smell…" Nick began.

"Hmmm?" Judy let out in a purr, wanting to hear how her mate would describe her scent.

"Terrible," Nick finished.

Judy tensed up and slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling.

"Gee, thanks Two forks…."

"Let's go change that," Nick said playfully.

"oh?" Judy asked, her ears rising up, suddenly getting where Nick was going with that. "I haven't had a shower in a week."

"Well maybe we need to take an extra long one to catch up," Nick chuckled as he slowly stood up, carrying his bunny with him.

Judy began to giggle uncontrollably as she was carried off towards the bathroom. She looked down behind Nick and saw the fox's tail swish back and forth.

"Mmmm…I missed you," Judy whispered as Nick opened the door to the bathroom, where a warm and passion filled shower would be waiting for her.

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers.**

 **See? Told ya there was some fun WildeHopps coming and even a little Trelta tossed in for fun. Kind of a short chapter I know. You have all been so patient and I wanted to write more but some stuff has come up and I wanted to try and get something sweet out for you all.**

 **Sadly there is some not so fun news attached to this AN.**

 **I am having to put all my works on hold for a bit. Something has come up. I need to finish up a project before I can continue working on any of my works. I promise I will be back. It just might be a little bit. I am sorry. I have a debt that needs to be paid and can't really work on anything else till I see things through.**

 **I want you to know that I am so grateful to you all for the reviews and support. I will try and return as soon as I can.**

 **Goodbye for now.**

 **-Blue**


	8. I missed you

-I missed you-

"How did we end up back here?" Nick whispered as he ran a paw down the pair of bunny ears currently laying behind the small gray bunny currently curled up in the fox's arms.

"Mmmm?" Came a sweet response as the bunny wiggled closer to her russet colored pillow.

"I mean I remember chasing you," Nick teased as he squeezed Judy closer.

"Yes, and I let you catch me," Judy mumbled.

"Oh really?"

"Mhmm," Judy responded, stifling a yawn.

"And then there was the tickling," Nick chuckled as he ran a paw down Judy's back.

"Go any farther and you will lose the paw," Judy said softly, knowing that if she hadn't said anything she would surely be wheezing with laughter as the fox attacked her large feet currently under the blankets.

Nick's paw stopped just above Judy's tail, a smug smirk on his lips. While the urge to listen to the bunnies infectious laughter was overwhelming he did resist the urge.

"Then there was the shower."

"Mmm…shower.," Judy repeated as she grabbed pawfuls of the fox's fur. Nick's shirt was absent from his body. He had been in the process of getting dressed when this most recent cuddly session had started.

The couple had only just recently finished their shower. They managed to use up all the hot water and had only ended showering when the brisk water became too much. Nick actually didn't mind the cold temperature as long as he had his bunny to hold. Whenever he closed his eyes and held Judy close memories of the past summer came pouring back.

The sun-soaked rocks of Bunny Falls, the cool mist that blew over the pond, the small gray bunny wrapped up in his arms as they waded through the refreshing water. All of these memories would come flooding back whenever he held Judy close and smelled her wet fur.

"And yet even though we got cleaned and ready for the day," Nick whispered in a playful tone. "We are back in bed."

"You complaining?" Judy mumbled.

"No just-"

"Nick?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up and hold me," Judy said firmly as she buried her head into his chest.

"As you wish Carrots," Nick said happily as he kept the small doe in his arms warm. He leaned close and nuzzled his snout in between her ears and took a deep breath of her scent. Judy let out a soft purr at the action. They had both had to get used to certain habits when it came to this relationship. Nick was used to how much physical attention Judy needed, in fact, he secretly loved it. That didn't stop him from throwing in the occasional joke about bunnies though. He felt that Judy, however, had been a real trooper through all this. As a bunny, he knew her protective instincts must be going absolutely mad whenever he held her certain ways or started to smell her. It wasn't exactly a common thing for smaller mammals to do. For a fox, though it was something they did. Her scent was unique to her and he had grown to not only enjoy it but crave it.

As Nick closed his eyes and enjoyed the pleasant scents a certain brown bunny's voice echoed in his mind.

 _Pinecone_

After that, however, something else Trisha had mentioned came to mind.

 _Did you do that mark stuff you foxes do?_

As he slowly ran a paw over Judy's fur he began to let the seed of that thought grow. Trisha's curiosity had actually sparked something inside Nick he hadn't thought about before.

Judy and Nick had only been dating for a short while. In that short time, however, they had grown so very close. While Trisha and a few others had warned Nick that feelings can be odd when you are alone in the forest this was something completely different. He had spoken to Judy about this as well and she agreed with him. While friendships and bonds formed with the mammals out in the woods theirs was a unique relationship, and not just because they were a fox and bunny.

One of Nick's most recent favorite memories from before Judy's survey departure began to play out in his mind as the two snoozed on the bed.

They were laying against a tree that sat on the edge of a lake near "Camp Cuddly". The moon full moon was sitting high in the night sky and illuminating the water for them as the wind played a sweet tune for the couple.

"So what if it has only been a few weeks?" Judy asked as she ran a paw through the russet fur on Nick's arm which was currently wrapped around her waist as she sat between the fox's open legs.

"Just something a few folks pointed out is all," Nick said softly, their conversation was low, almost in a whisper as the night surrounded them in a peaceful serenity.

"Trisha?"

"That pinecone hurling bun may be one of them.."

"Well I know why she is saying it," Judy said with a soft sigh. "She really cares about both of us.."

"Both?"

"Yes both," Judy said with a chuckle as she tilted her head up to look into her fox's handsome green eyes. "You will see when you start training. She really likes you Nick and when she says those things I think its because she is just worried about our feelings and what might happen. She is only looking out."

"Sappy blue-eyed monster."

Judy chuckled and shook her head, "Don't let her hear that when training starts, may just encourage her."

"So what might happen?" Nick asked, barely hiding the hesitation in his voice as he brought up why Trisha was concerned.

"Well Trisha and I talked about that and while she still wants us to be cautious I like her idea of what will happen."

"Which is?"

"One day we wake up," Judy began as she looked across the water. Nick could hear a slight nervousness in her voice which made him anxious.

Of course being the kind of fox that Nick was his mind started to play out all sorts of different scenarios in his mind. What Judy may say next worried in slightly.

 _What? One day we wake up and realize this won't work? That we cant have kits together? That I am a sly fox and you are an innocent bunny?_

"And we will have grown old together," Judy said with a satisfied sigh. "And oddly enough, that's all I think I want."

"Trisha said that?"

"Yeah, I think she can read minds," Judy chuckled as she wiggled her body slightly against Nick's.

"And that's something you would-"

"I said Trisha could read minds didn't I?" Judy asked as she closed her eyes and let out another soft sigh. "Nick I know this is all so new to us. We haven't even known each other for a year. But that time out in our Firewatch towers showed me what kind of mammal you are."

"A handsome fox."

"Meh," Judy joked which caused the fox to bury his snout in her neck which he knew was a spot to get a giggle out of her. After a second of sweet laughter, Judy continued. "I learned so much about you and you didn't even know my species. You showed me that it didn't matter what we are. What matters is who we are. And I know who I am now."

"Who is that?"

"I am yours."

"You bunny's," Nick said with a smirk. "So emotional."

That wasn't the only memory he had where he had to hold back a tear thanks to his bunny. In fact, there were so many that the fox could now choose from and all of them created in such a short time. It reminded him that it didn't matter what others said. Sure they were a fox and bunny, sure they hadn't known each other as long as others, all that mattered was their new plan.

To one day wake up, and realize they had grown old together.

"Mmmm," Judy began to stir from her spot in Nick's arm. "So as much fun as it is to just lay in your arms and dream about our first kiss.."

 _So cheesy. Gosh, why do I love cheesy so much now?_

"I am kinda hungry."

"Well then, why don't I finish putting a shirt on and we can go," Nick suggested with a chuckle.

"Or you can just go shirtless," Judy teased as she opened those big beautiful purple eyes of hers and looked up at him.

"Could have sworn I saw a no shirt no service sign at Lynn's," Nick chuckled.

"Was actually thinking maybe a picnic," Judy said as she stretched.

"Didn't you get enough of nature while out with Delta?"

"Nature is like you Nick," Judy giggled as she eyed her fox. "I will never have enough of it."

After a quick trip to Fairfax, the couple had managed to scrounge up some food. Judy having lived in the region for a while knew exactly where to go and when. Since it was now later in the afternoon she had recommended a small sandwich shop that specialized in making subs on freshly baked bread. A young ewe at the counter knew Judy and nearly jumped over the counter in excitement when she saw the gray-furred bunny. Her excitement nearly doubled when she recognized Nick walking in just behind Judy.

Nick remembered his times back in Zootopia. He would normally keep a little space between himself and prey when entering a shop. A glare or two would be thrown his way or on some occasions, a firm warning was given.

Not here though. The black ewe looked from Judy and then to Nick, only to smile back at Judy which caused the puffy mammal to squeak with excitement.

"Oh my gosh, it's so nice to finally meet you! I have been bugging Judy asking why it has taken so long for her to finally bring you around!" The mammal behind the counter exclaimed.

"You ashamed of me Carrots?" Nick asked playfully as he reached out and brushed one of her ears.

There was a thud from behind the counter and Nick looked over in surprise, the ewe having vanished.

"Yeah….she does that," Judy said as she peered over the counter.

"What?! Faints?!" Nick asked, a little concerned at how calm Judy acted about this.

"He called you Carrots…so cute…" came a whisper from the sheep behind the counter.

"You ok back there Erin?" Judy asked as she stood on her toes to get a better glance.

After getting some sandwiches and snacks the couple bid the fainting ewe in the sandwich shop. Nick however just had to test out a quick theory. He reached down and gave Judy a peck between the ears as they prepared to leave.

Erin's teal eyes went into the back of her head as she fainted once more.

"Nick!"

"Ow! I couldn't help it!"

A short truck ride later Nick and Judy found themselves at a familiar lake. Nick and Trisha had been here just a few days prior to have him certified in CPR. Nick chuckled at the memory of him leaning over an odd circular dummy. He had taken a moment to pause.

"Everything ok Nick?" Tammy, their cheetah instructor asked as she looked down at the fox.

Nick looked up with an innocent look before speaking, "when do I get naked again?"

Trisha nearly died laughing as she fell to the ground, wheezing with laughter. Tammy's cheeks turned a bright red and it took her a whole minute to regain some kind of composure. The other mammals all looking over at Nick with slight concern. A white and brown colored bunny in a red and white lifeguard outfit leaned over to her raccoon friend.

"I left my cell phone in my bag if he strips down-"

"Oh you best believe I will snag a picture," the raccoon in the lifeguard uniform said in a hurried whisper.

Now though it was just Judy and Nick sitting under the same tree Nick had gotten the famous Ranger expectation book from Trisha. There were a few mammals off in the distance enjoying the lake, there was even a moose cruising leisurely through the water in a canoe. Nick took everything in and let out a satisfied sigh. He began to wonder what he would be doing right now if he had stayed back in Zootopia.

He would probably be hustling some mammal out of their hard earn cash. Or maybe sitting with Finnick in his van in some abandoned lot as they sipped cheap beer and planned their next gig. Another thought crossed his mind. It was of Finnick sitting in a lawn chair as he looked back at Nick, a somewhat sad expression on his face.

"You don't need her Wilde. She left. She made her choice now it's up to you to choose what you want to do next," The small fennec fox said in a deep but oddly caring voice.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Nick didn't really feel all that bad about the memories of Zootopia. And the reason was perfectly clear.

Nick looked down at Judy who was sitting between the fox's legs as she happily munched at her carrot salad sandwich. The doe must have realized she was being watched as her chewing came to a slow stop. She leaned back so she could look up at Nick, one of her ears brushing against his snout. The way her beautiful purple eyes just brightened up his day made him grin.

"Hey," Nick whispered as he wrapped an arm around Judy's waist which earned him a happy coo from Judy who wiggled backwards so she could rest against her fox.

"mmmphn," Judy grumbled, her cheeks full of carrot and sandwich.

 _A bunny, I fell for a bunny, and I love it._

"How is your sandwich?" Nick asked as he ran his free paw down Judy's ears.

Judy purred as she closed her eyes and let the warm feelings fill her, she then swallowed and let some of her sandwich fill her too.

Without saying a word she held her sandwich upward so it was in front of Nick's muzzle. The fox chuckled as he leaned forward and took a bite. While not the biggest fan of carrot, salads, or anything really healthy, Nick had to admit the sandwich wasn't that bad.

Judy smirked as she watched Nick chew on the different greens in her food. She then looked back at the lake and let out a pleased sigh. The small breath from the bunny made Nick swell with joy as he held her close. He rested his head between her ears and looked out at the water.

Right now he could be back in the city feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he was on the edge of a peaceful lake with his beautiful bunny.

 _How did I get so lucky?_

"So you know why they call it Lake Plowfox?" Judy asked as she finished her sandwich, not hesitating to wipe her paws on Nick's leg. Something Nick found amusing, having learned long ago that Judy had picked up a few traits from Trisha. Or was it the other way around?

"No," Nick said softly as he took in a deep breath, Judy's scent mixing in with the different smells that filled the woods.

"Oh, fun story then!" Judy exclaimed as she wiggled and prepared to tell the tale. "So it happened years and years ago. There was this fox who owned a plow service. It was really just him and a modified plow truck. He would go around the region after snow storms to help clear the roads."

"Noble."

"Charged a fortune to do it."

"Smart."

"And would sometimes have a few drinks."

"Ah….less smart.."

"Well, one day he and the Misses get into this argument about," Judy thought for a moment but couldn't quite remember the deeper details of the story. "I forgot about what, to be honest, but it was a big one. So they are arguing while he is cutting this turn and I guess he didn't pay too much attention and…"

"Uh oh.." Nick sighed, sadly knowing the feeling.

"See the ridge up there?" Judy said as she pointed a small paw up towards a ridge that overlooked the lake.

"Yeah.."

"See how some of the guardrails are a different color."

"He didn't!"

Judy's paw went over the lake and then straight down towards the water, the bunny making a splashing sound when her paw was level with the lake's surface.

"And did they?"

"Oh they are fine now," Judy chuckled. "You best believe his wife was livid. Apparently, some mammals were on the frozen part of the lake ice fishing when it all happened. When they arrived to help all they saw was this soaking wet bunny dragging an equally wet fox out of the lake."

Nick snorted at the thought of a soaking wet Judy carrying him out of the lake. He then realized how the pair Judy just mentioned was just like Judy and him.

"And how long ago was this?" Nick asked curiously.

"Like 10 years ago I think," Judy said absentmindedly.

"And folks were ok with it?"

"Oh heck no, he was the only one with a plow truck at the time."

"No, I mean a fox and bunny couple.."

Judy looked up at Nick and smiled, "What, did you think we were the first ones?"

"I mean…back in Zootopia-"

"You aren't in Zootopia Nick," Judy said sweetly as she reached up and ran a paw against one of Nick's cheeks. "When are you gonna learn we don't see species here, we see you for what you are."

"And what am I?" Nick asked with a smug grin.

Judy's eyelids drooped as she sat there for a second. The bunny then stood up and turned so she was level with Nick.

"You are mine," Judy whispered as she put both paws on Nicks' cheeks and pulled him into a tender kiss.

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers.**

 **It's been a bit. I missed ya.**

 **So I am not done with the other project but there was a short delay on some stuff so I spent a little time writing my favorite story. Another short but sweet chapter. These are kind of fun. Can't wait for the next one! I know its still a bit of a slow burn but we have some fun stuff coming soon for ya!**

 **If you all are looking for some more crazy sweetness I actually released a new AU. Its a series of holiday specials rolled into one story called _Greetings from Manta Bay._ It actually feels a little similar to Firewatch in the way it starts out. Well, I will let you decide on that. If you get a chance and are looking for some fluff while ya wait for more Firefalls then go check it out! **

**My buddy _Fox in the hen house_ has an awesome new story out called _Rival Romance._ If you haven't had a chance yet go read this one! Seriously I can't get enough of it. Its an amazing AU about Nick and Judy during high school. The amount of Squee moments in it is ridiculous but also amazing.**

 **I hope to return soon.**

 **Pinecone!**

 **-Blue**


	9. The third and fourth wheel

-The third and fourth wheel-

Now that Judy had gotten settled back in at Camp Curry, and back into a certain fox's arms as often as she could, it was time to focus on work once more. Or at least prepare for work. Since Judy had arrived back in the main region on Friday that meant they had Saturday and Sunday to just relax in one another's arms.

That was pretty much the whole plan on Saturday. After having a picnic near Lake Plowfox the couple had strolled around the lake only to find a secluded spot to curl up and enjoy each others company. Neither of them caring whether it was in the bed back at the cabin, some darkened movie theater, or just the cool shade underneath a tree by the lake. The world was theirs to cuddle and hold one another and that is exactly what they did.

While just doing the same thing on Sunday seemed nice Judy wanted to meet up with another certain someone for lunch. Nick letting out a loud, but playful, groan saying that he had just spent the last week with that certain someone. He was of course just joking, knowing full well that the two bunnies were probably really missing one another. They had been very close friends before Nick's arrival and the fox had no plan of making waves when it came to that relationship. That didn't stop him teasing them relentlessly though.

After waking up Nick found himself somewhat bunnyless in bed. As the groggy fox sat up in bed he started to scan the room to the cabin, his eyes adjusting as his brain booted up. What tipped him off to Judy's presence was a wonderful smell coming from the kitchen. The smell of freshly brewed coffee was almost heaven to the fox. The sight that was waiting for him in the kitchen when he trotted over was exactly what he expected heaven to be like. Judy was standing against the counter humming to herself as she prepared a light breakfast for them. Some muffins from the local bakery in Fairfax, a side of fruit, and of course coffee for a certain fox.

The bunny was wearing one of Nick's shirts and a pair of khaki shorts. The size of the shirt made it so it draped nearly to her knees, the sleeves having been rolled up. Whenever she reached for something he had a rather nice view of her rear thanks to the fact the shirt had gotten caught on the doe's tail which would swish occasionally.

Judy's ears twitched and she smiled as she looked over her shoulder at Nick who seemed rather comfortable leaning against the kitchen doorway, staring at the lovely doe. He didn't realize it but she was equally enjoying the sight of the shirtless fox in nothing but a pair of black boxers leaning against the doorway.

"Morning," She said sweetly as her brilliant purple eyes greeted him.

Nick was silent for a moment or two as he looked at the lovely view in the kitchen. If this is what he had to look forward to waking up to for the rest of his life, well, sign him up.

The fox strolled over and wrapped his arms around Judy's waist as he buried his muzzle into the fur on the bunny's neck, breathing in her scent which to him was a palate of sweet smells and wonderful memories.

"Morning Carrots," He whispered softly which caused the bunny to let out a purr.

"Mmmm…have I mentioned how much I love it when you call me that," Judy said with a pleased sigh as she reached up behind her and ran a paw through the fur on Nick's cheek.

"You have," Nick chuckled. "But I wouldn't mind hearing it more."

"It is just so….I don't even know the words to describe it," Judy explained as she closed her eyes. "I remember when we were first talking over our radios back in the forests. How every time you keyed up my heart would skip a beat but then I would worry…"

"Worry?"

"Because I am a bunny. I worried you would be angry, that I would lose you," Judy replied. "But hearing you call me Carrots when you hold me, it just reminds me this isn't a dream and it doesn't matter what we are."

"You bunnies…"

"Oh gosh.." Judy giggled as she rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming next.

"So emotional."

"Ok, I get it…"

"So cheesy.."

"Okay watch it…"

"So," Nick began before "Cute.."

After spending a few minutes of Judy stuffing various fruits in Nick's face and smooshing them against his muzzle the couple got dressed and headed to the porch of their cabin.

Nick remembered living back in Zootopia and how drastically different his morning routine was now. He would normally be listening to the radio or maybe standing in line in a busy BuckBucks coffee shop waiting to get his morning pick me up. The sounds of the city filling his ears. Car horns, mammals of various sizes trotting around, the occasional tire squeal followed by a few colorful words.

Now though things were so very different. There was no constant sound of the city filling his ears. No machines, cars, or helicopters.

No, now it was a kind of serene silence only occasionally dotted with the sound of a bird or breeze dancing through the trees. Judy let out a soft sigh as she read the Fairfax Gazette. That sound right there made Nick smile as he brought the warm cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip of the wonderful energetic liquid.

"That's good coffee," Nick said as he smacked his lips.

Judy snorted and rolled her eyes, "Its just the instant stuff we used to have in the towers."

"It's not just that," Nick corrected the bunny as he looked over at her. "It's the instant stuff we used to have in the towers that YOU made me."

Nick glanced over at Judy who raised the newspaper in front of her face in an attempt to hide her goofy smile. Her ears, however, betrayed her as they remained up, the insides turning a rosy red as she blushed.

After enjoying a calm breakfast on the porch and watching the sun slowly inch up into the sky the bunny fox couple got ready for the day. Judy had already made plans with Trisha for lunch and with no other plans, they could just take their time getting ready. This was actually rather important as showers seemed to take longer now that Judy was back. Nick would hold the doe in his arms as they stood under the jets of warm water. The steam in the room fogging their visions slightly as their lips met.

With their shower complete, the couple dressed, the pair loaded up into Nick's pickup truck. The orange rusted vehicle having proven its worth time and time again. Nick had grown rather fond of his truck over these past few weeks. To think it had just been a quick purchase to get him away from the city. Now though it was his main way around the forests he had started to call home.

The thought hit Nick suddenly and he couldn't help but smile as he kept his eyes on the road before him. For the longest time, he kept thinking Zootopia was home. How this was all some kind of temporary thing.

That really wasn't the case though. He had a fulltime job now, a pretty nice cabin, and a beautiful bunny to share it all with. This was home now, no doubt about it.

The drive to lunch was a kind of lazy pleasantness. Judy and Nick would chat about various topics. Judy looking over at Nick occasionally before glancing back out the window, watching the different bits of forest scenery pass them by.

Once parked in front of Lynn's Nick and Judy exited the fox's rust covered truck and started to make their way through the dirt parking lot. Judy, however, stopped just shy of the door and grinned up at Nick who raised a brow. The look in Judy's eyes told him she was scheming. Judy held up a paw and wiggled one of her digits, beckoning the fox to come closer. Nick didn't need any more prompting and smirked as he brought his muzzle down lower for his bunny.

Judy put her paws on Nick's cheek and pulled him into a tender kiss. After a second or two, their embrace ended and Judy let out a happy sigh.

"Well that was nice," Nick chuckled.

"Just wanted to get one last kiss before we go in," Judy explained as her half-lidded eyes looked up at her fox.

"What? Don't you want to gross everyone out? We can be that annoying couple in the corner booth," Nick suggested which earned him a chuckle from Judy.

Judy bit her lower lip and raised her brows, "As much fun as that would be you do realize I haven't really seen my brown bunny in like a week."

Nick couldn't help but chuckle and nodded. He then leaned forward and gave Judy a gentle peck on the forehead that caused her ears to go up excitedly.

"Just remember who is taking you home tonight."

"Yeah also about that…" Judy said with a playful smirk.

Nick rolled his eyes as Judy began to giggle. He stood up straighter but Judy held onto his cheeks.

"Oh no Nick come back I was just teasing!"

Once inside Nick let out a low whistle at just how crowded Lynn's was. Even for the lunch crowd on a Sunday in the small town, it was hard to see a vacant seat.

As they weaved through the many full tables Nick managed to spot Delta and Trisha's table. The painted dog had his back to them but looked over his shoulder when Trisha nearly leapt out of her booth seat and started to wave frantically as if she were trying to signal a rescue plane.

Nick had seen many sides of Judy over their time together. He had seen her when she was down and when she was gleeful. How she acted around Trisha though was rather unique and if he was honest somewhat adorable.

He watched as Judy's ears went up and her feet seemed to barely touch the floor as she hurried over to her brown furred friend. When the bunny reached the booth she quickly scurried up onto the cushion and climbed on all fours into the waiting arms of Trisha who instantly wrapped the doe up in a warm embrace. Both the bunnies closing their eyes as they nuzzled their cheeks together.

Delta had a happy grin on his face as he patted the seat next to him. From the looks of it, the seating arrangement had already been made. Nick didn't mind and even chuckled as he sat next to the painted dog who greeted him with a pat on the shoulder.

"Glad I won't be the third wheel anymore," The canine joked with a wink.

"You still are," Trisha purred as she kept her cheek against Judy's. "There is just a fourth wheel now."

Both the predators on the other side of the table looked at one another before chuckling.

"How ya been Nick?" Delta asked. The two canines hadn't seen each other since Judy and Delta had left for their surveys. When Delta had come back into the region Trisha and the painted ranger had rushed back to their own cabin to "catch up."

"Been good," Nick said honestly. "Though I think I have a few new bruises and sprains thanks to a certain ranger trainer."

A crumpled up napkin hit the fox right between the eyes but he had grown so used to this that he didn't even flinch. He instead flicked the napkin back at Trisha, only to have the paper curve and hit Judy on the nose.

"Hey! Watch the fire!"

"I did last season, this season I'm just watching you."

Everyone at the table froze and looked at the fox. While Judy blushed furiously the two rangers at the table looked at one another then started making gagging noises.

"Oh gosh, Nick that was…" Delta trailed off.

"Sweet?" Judy asked as she finally let go of Trisha and got settled on the bunny side of the booth.

"Was gonna go with gross."

"Cheesy," Trisha chimed in.

"Smooth," Nick tried to put out there but only got smirks and headshakes.

"Judy!" Came a loud squeak from behind Nick.

"Oh great round two," Delta grumbled.

"Round two?" Nick asked.

His curiosity was answered as a small white bunny covered in black spots came hurling by, climbing into the booth so she could wrap Judy up in a hug.

Judy smiled as she gave the smaller bunny a rub on the back. "Good morning Taconny."

"Trisha!" The younger doe exclaimed as she proceeded to climb over Judy's lap and reach out for some affection from the brown bunny.

"Taconny!" Trisha said equally as excited as she gave the waitress a quick squeeze.

The bunny, however, wasn't done as she looked over at Nick and Delta. An excited smile on her lips.

"Oh goodness…" Delta grumbled.

"Tails!" Taconny shouted in excitement and proceeded to scurry under the table.

"Wait what?!" Delta yelped.

Nick sat up a little straighter, a surprised look crossing his face as he tried to look under the table for the little troublemaker.

"Taco!" Judy said quickly as she peeked under the table.

Trisha was too busy squeaking with laughter as she held onto her aching sides.

In the end, Judy had to hurry under the table to get the small bunny who was busy holding Nick's floofy tail only to grab Delta's painted one and nuzzle them as if they were her favorite plushies. Judy's intervention however just caused a bit if a scuffle under the table as Taconny tried to evade the other bunny.

"Trisha little help?" Judy's voice came from under the table. Trisha, however, was laughing so hard she had trouble breathing at first.

Eventually, Trisha managed to retrieve a small piece of candy from her bag which had been stuffed in the corner of the booth.

"Taco want some candy?"

Taco released the canine's tails and came scurrying from under the table. Grabbing the piece of candy and putting it into her mouth, wrapper and all. With that, the small doe hurried off to cause trouble elsewhere.

Judy's ears were the first part of the small bunny to make an appearance from under the table. The rest of her head popped up just in time for Lynn to arrive and give the bunny an odd look.

"Taco…" Judy wheezed as she settled back in her seat next to Trisha.

"My goodness that girl has some energy about her," Lynn said as she shook her head, a warm smile still gracing her muzzle though. "Good morning by the way, glad to see you are all back safe and sound."

Judy received a gentle rub on the shoulder which made her smile up at the wolf.

"Thanks, Lynn, sorry we missed ya last night."

"Oh no worries, you young ones have far more energy than me when that clock hits 4 this old wolf is out."

"Partying in Fairfax," Trisha said with a bob of the head.

"Oh goodness no, those days are far behind me."

"Ah shoot, and here I was hoping to get a date out of you," Delta teased with a wink.

Lynn gave the younger canine a toothy grin, "Well I may be able to find time for a handsome ranger like yourself hun."

"Oi! Lynn! I am the new resident flirt remember?" The bunny scoffed as her ears went up. Nick noticed a fire in the small does blue eyes and began to worry a scuffle would ensue over the painted rangers favor.

Everyone at the table burst into laughter, Nick joining in when he realized it had all been some playful banter. Once the table had finally settled down Lynn looked around with a knowing grin.

"So I'm guessing the Trudy special for this side of the table," Lynn said as she gave the two now excited bunny's a wink. "And what about my two boys?"

"Captains choice," Delta said with a smile.

Nick looked at the painted dog, tilting his head curiously. He hadn't seen anything with that name on the menu the past few times he had been and he would have surely remembered if he had. Lynn cleared her throat which got the fox's attention.

"The ranger is just flattering me," The she-wolf said. "Its really just I toss whatever I think he may like on his plate. Should be called dealers choice but this one loves reminding me of the old days."

"I'll have the same Cap," Nick said with a sly smile that caused the elder wolf to let out a pleased sigh.

"Y'all are just too much I swear."

With that Lynn hurried away to put in the orders, her tail swishing back and forth happily.

While they waited for their food Nick and Delta caught up. The painted dog explaining what the forest was like out in the burned zones. He painted a somewhat hopeful picture. While the forest had taken a pounding the waterways were starting to clear up. Greenery was popping up out of the scorched earth and they had even seen some fish returning to the streams.

"It may take some time but at least it will recover," Delta said as he took a sip of orange juice. "Sooooo….how was ranger training?"

Nick rolled his eyes, "Let me tell you the madness I have been through…"

Before going into detail he looked over at Trisha and Judy and he couldn't help but pause. The two buns did share a close bond and it showed. Trisha had her head resting on Judy's shoulder as Judy nuzzled her cheek against the top of the brown bunny's head. Both of them staring at Trisha's phone.

"And that was at the Thunder mining camp when he took his shirt off to cool down," Trisha explained.

Judy had to fan herself thanks to some of the images, "Oh thank you, Trisha, for this one."

"You should make it your screensaver at work!"

"Oh I fully plan on having this somewhere in my office," Judy said with a mischievous smile before looking up at Nick, a light blush going up her ears.

"Oh and this one is on me," Trisha said and she flipped to another image which caused Judy's eyes to go wide.

"Where is your shirt?!"

"It's on the floor somewhere but look at my butt! It was looking super good in those shorts so I just had to get a picture, feel free to put this in your office somewhere too."

The two does giggled as they continued the slideshow on Trisha's phone. Occasionally Judy would turn the phone and show Delta some of the silly images Trisha had taken during Nick's training. The painted dog especially enjoyed the one of Nick during the CPR class. The fox having picked up one of the dummies and held it close while leaning down, giving it a rather sensual look.

"Well if they didn't want me wooing the dummies they shouldn't have said pretend it was Judy."

"Oh gosh has he been like this the whole time?" Delta asked with a groan.

"You have no idea…" Trisha grumbled before returning her gaze to her phone and flipping through more images.

Eventually, Lynn returned with everyone's orders. Nick was rather pleased with his order. A kind of beetle pot pie that was still steaming from the oven. Delta's plate had a kind of sandwich that made the painted dog's mouth water.

What had to be the most interesting plate though was the one placed in front of Judy and Trisha. At first, it looked like a plate with just a giant pile of whip cream on it. Nick soon realized it was waffles that had been covered with the sweet topping. To add to the sugar rush Lynn pulled a fresh can of whip cream from her apron and set it down next to Trisha who didn't even flinch and grasped it, giving the can a shake before popping the lid.

"You two have enough whip-" Nick began, ready to tease the two bunnies about their order but felt a firm paw grab his wrist. Nick looked over to Delta who had a panicked look on his face.

Nick tilted his head in confusion as Delta shook his head quickly, signaling the fox to remain silent. Nick slowly looked back at Trisha and Judy who looked at him with a set of eyes burning with fire, as if telling him to just try and stop them. The fox gave the two bunnies a weak smile before digging into his food.

Trisha popped the cap from the whipped cream and opened her mouth, squirting some of the sweet cream right into her mouth before shaking the can at Judy who happily took it and did the same as her friend before grabbing a fork and digging into the whipped cream covered waffles.

Watching the two bunnies tear into the waffles was a rather amusing sight. Delta explaining how the Trudy special was a rather unique tradition between the two bunnies.

"Don't even try to go for some of the whipped cream by the way," Delta said as he took a sip of sweet tea from his mason jar glass. "I tried it once and almost lost a paw."

Nick looked over and hide to stifle a laugh at Judy who had some whip cream on her cheek. Her beautiful purple eyes met his and smiled. Trisha leaned over and didn't even hesitate to lick the whipped cream from Judy's cheek which caused the doe to giggle and close her eyes.

Even Nick had to chuckle as he took a fork full of his own food and had a bite.

A short while later lunch started to come to a close. Nick and Delta continued to chat and catch up. The two having become good friends during Nick's time in Fairfax. Delta suggested that they get together sometime soon for beers with some of the other rangers.

"Maybe while these two are on their movie date night," Nick said as he nodded over at the bunnies, fulling expected to be hit with whatever Trisha could get her paws on. When nothing smacked him he glanced over and burst out with a laugh.

Trisha had her eyes closed and head resting against Judy's shoulder as the gray bunny let her head rest against the booth. Both of them letting out the occasional moan as they recovered from the terrible things they had done to the waffles. Both of them covered with spots of whip cream and pastry.

Nick quickly pulled out his cell phone and snapped a few pictures of the resting does and showed Delta his paw work.

The painted dog rolled his eyes and smirked, "Lightweights."

Lynn walked over and let out a sigh as she looked over at the two now slumbering bunnies, "I swear every time they overdo it."

"Yeah well at least I won't have to be carrying them both now," Delta said as he patted Nick on the back.

"Anything else for you all?" Lynn asked as she started to gather up some of the plates.

"Just the check Cap," Delta said with a smile. Before Nick could suggest splitting the bill Delta patted Nick on the arm. "You can get drinks next time."

"Well only if Lynn joins," Nick said as he looked over at the she-wolf and gave her a wink.

Lynn rolled her eyes but the embarrassed smile told him the thought was appreciated.

Taconny came round to help Lynn with cleaning up the table, of course, she helped herself the remaining amount of whip cream in the can. She didn't even hesitate putting the can to her lips, a small noise coming from the can as her cheeks puffed out. Nick was glad the can was pretty much empty less whip cream come out Taconny's nose. The bunnies small body began shaking as her eyes dilated, an obvious kind of sugar rush taking over as she bounced off the table and hurried away with the dishes from the table.

Once they were all paid up Delta and Nick got up from their side of the booth. Both canines picking up their respective does. While Nick cradled Judy in his arms Delta simply tossed Trisha over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Mmmmm….did we win?" Trisha groaned.

"Yes you did, you kicked that waffles but," Delta chuckled.

Judy purred as she nuzzled into Nick's chest, her small paw grabbing part of his shirt as she tried to hold on tight.

"Thanks, Nick."

"For what?"

"For letting Trisha and I still have this," The doe said softly.

"Of course, not gonna lie but it was kind of cute watching you two attack that pile of whip cream like it insulted you or something."

"You get to use the C-word one more time today so use it wisely," Judy teased with her eyes still closed.

"Can I keep using the Carrot word?"

"All day long Two Forks."

Outside of Lynn's the two canines chatted for a moment which must have been an amusing sight with the two snoozing bunnies cured up in their arms, or in Trisha's case over her painted dogs shoulder.

They bid farewell and Delta turned to head off towards his truck parked next to the building.

"Wilde!" Came a firm shout which caught Nick attention. Trisha was still over Delta's shoulder, staring at the fox, "I will be seeing you tomorrow for training! Be there or be-" Trisha didn't finish her sentence but instead let out a large belch which Nick would have given a solid 7.5.

Delta roared with laughter, "Alright burpee lets get you home."

Nick opened the truck to his own pickup truck and gingerly placed Judy on the seat. He climbed in himself and was happy when he felt Judy scoot over so she could rest her head on the tod's lap.

Nick looked down and gently brushed one of Judy's large ears off her face so he could study his lovely bunny.

"That was fun," Nick said softly as he just sat in the truck with Judy. "A little get together before getting back to work."

"Can't think of a better way of returning home," Judy cooed as she nuzzled into Nick's paw.

"Me neither Carrots," Nick said with a satisfied sigh.

"Its good to be back."

* * *

 **Have to agree with Judy, its good to be back.**

 **Hey there Firewatchers and Pinecones!**

 **I am so glad to announce that I am back. All the projects keeping me busy are done or I am no longer a part of so now we can get back to the fun stuff.**

 **Thank you all for your patience during this time. I know getting only the sporadic update can probably be very frustrating and I have gotten the occasional message making sure I am returning. I do appreciate all the support.**

 **I am going to do my best to get back into writing more for Firefalls and my other main stories so you all have lots to read.**

 **Update on Firewatch:**

 **So some of you may have noticed that the cover pic for Firewatch is gone. xNirox did an excellent job and I loved that pic but sadly there were some issues and the pic had to be removed. Do not fear though because I am currently working with another amazing artist on a new cover for it and will keep you all posted.**

 **Till next time!**

 **Pinecone!**

 **-Blue**


	10. Rising and Raising

-Rising and Raising-

-Ranger Training Day 6, stupid early in the morning-

"Oh come on now-" Judy yawned as she looked away from Nick who had just finished yawning himself. "You know that stuff is contagious…"

"I do know," Nick grumbled as he struggled to keep his eyes opened. "I also know that waking up before the sun does should be illegal…"

Judy chuckled as she looked back at Nick who was currently driving them through the darkened forests, the headlights of the rusted orange truck illuminating the road before them.

The bunny took a moment to respond as she stared at her mate. She couldn't get over how handsome he was in uniform. It was the first time Nick had a uniform to wear during training. He would have liked to wear one of the more casual uniforms today but had been told by Trisha the night before to wear his more formal "lodge uniform". The fox had been grumbling all morning about how restricting the uniform felt. The long crisp sleeves, however, made him look especially handsome to a certain gray bunny who was currently in her own Parks uniform.

They actually looked quite the pair. Judy had taken several pictures before they left the cabin. Nick in his lodge uniform which was comprised of a dark gray long sleeve shirt with the Ranger patch on one arm, the parks logo on the other. Normally he would be sporting a pair of dark green cargo or hiking pants. Today though it was green uniform slacks.

Nick kept suggesting that they trade uniforms. Mainly because Judy was allowed to wear her short sleeve parks shirt and a pair of pants that hugged her legs rather nicely.

Judy had let out a snort at the suggestion, images of the handsome fox in a pair of tight pants filling her mind. Soon the images were replaced with Nick wearing a pair of Trisha's short uniform shorts and she blushed. Fortunately, the low lighting in the cab of the pickup kept her embarrassment masked.

"Well sometimes you gotta get up early there Two Forks," Judy mumbled.

"Ranger Two Forks," The fox playfully corrected.

"Oh really? Did I miss something because last time I checked Trisha said you aren't a ranger yet," Judy teased.

"Surviving Trisha for a week of training should be enough," Nick grumbled.

"Well you still have lots more fun times ahead," Judy giggled. "So enjoy it while you can."

"Would rather be enjoying my bed," Nick yawned before continuing. "Curled up with a certain someone from the Parks Department."

"Atom?"

The two shared a laugh as the truck continued down the darkened road.

"So please explain to me why again I am up so early?" Nick returned to one of the topics he was still trying to wrap his head around.

"Because there is lots to do today," Judy tried to explain, stifling her own yawn.

"Funny there was lots to do on the other days of training but I at least slept in past sunrise," Nick pointed out before glancing over at Judy. "It wasn't until you returned that I had stupid early morning training."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Nick," Judy lied.

"Yeah yeah…." Nick groaned. "You two are up to something."

Judy actually did need to be up this early. Being her first official workday back from the survey mission she and Delta had just completed meant it was time for her to present her findings on the burned regions. She was slightly anxious, to be honest.

There was going to be a meeting with all the major heads of the Parks Department along with several officials from Fairfax. This was actually a common occurrence. The Parks Department and the city of Fairfax were dependent on one another so when a meeting that affected one was taking place you better believe the other was involved.

The bunny wasn't exactly nervous about being in a meeting with so many important mammals though. Far from it, she actually looked forward to seeing some of the mammals she considered friends. What had Judy nervous though was what the meeting could mean. While Judy would try to paint a hopeful picture with their findings she still knew that they were all in a precarious state. The forest had taken a hit and the Parks Department and Forestry service were still reeling financially from putting out the June Fire. While the forest would eventually heal on its own the question was would the Parks Department still be around to see it.

Judy felt a knot in her stomach as their ride turned the corner and brought the large lodge into view. Since it was still early morning and the sun wasn't up to illuminate the building they depended on a series of old-fashioned looking lamps to guide them. The lodge itself was a massive structure and could house many mammals of various size. With over a hundred rooms and different amenities, it was more a 5-star resort than some kind of wooden structure in the middle of nowhere.

It was one of the reasons the Parks Department called it home. Especially since they were the ones who had invested so much time and money into it. It was for this reason they had meetings in the conference center that had been built into the side of the lodge, the building still following the rustic look of the main lodge. The building was made of enormous logs that made up its walls. The wood had been sanded down and a nice finish added. The roof was a dark green but at this time of day, it was all hard to tell.

"Just park in the main lot," Judy instructed Nick who yawned in response. "And quit that!"

Once parked the pair exited the vehicle and Nick stretched his arms upward, his mouth beginning to open in yet another yawn but he stopped when he glanced at Judy who gave him a look.

"The coffee shop in the lobby will be open soon, you behave yourself and I will buy you a wolf-sized coffee," Judy offered.

"Make it a bear size and you got yourself a deal," Nick chuckled as Judy walked over and gave her fox a hug around the waist.

Nick reached down and put a paw on the back of Judy's head, the other he used to brush the bunny's ears, that's when he realized something was up.

"What's going on Carrots?" Nick asked softly.

The two having grown so close the fox prided himself on knowing when something was wrong whenever he held his bunny, the way her ears remained down had been the first hint, the second was the fact her normally warm fur was somewhat cold.

Judy closed her eyes as she nuzzled her head against the fox's stomach, letting out a soft purr.

"Nothing…"

"Liar," Nick chuckled as he continued to hold his bunny close. "Come on now."

"Just…" Judy began as she opened her eyes and looked right up at Nick. "A lot of uncertainty…"

"Hey now," Nick said as he put a paw under Judy's chin and gave her fur a light rub. "Let's just focus on what is certain then."

Judy blinked as she stared up at the fox, a questioning look in her eyes.

"I am certain that as long as we are together, things will turn out alright."

"Nick…" Judy said as she closed her eyes, holding back tears of joy.

"I am also a certain…." Nick began to whisper, stroking his bunny's ears.

"Mmmmm?"

"That I deserve an elephant-sized coffee now."

Judy burst into laughter as she buried her head into Nick, squeezing her small arms around the tod.

After a little more cuddling and laughing in the parking lot the fox and bunny pair made it into the lobby. To Nick's surprise, there was a group of mammals milling about the inside of the lobby near one of the large reception desks.

Most of the mammals looked to be from out of town. Some of them wearing shirts with the parks logo on it from the gift shop, a few of them in sports jerseys from Zootopia, there was even a group of junior ranger scouts. The young scouts seemed to have found some energy as they hopped around the lobby, their chaperon trying their best to stay awake and control the excited pups and kits. Nick smiled when he recognized a few familiar faces waiting just off to the side of the main crowd.

"How come she gets to wear her normal uniform?" Nick groaned as Trisha came scurrying up to Judy, embracing the gray bunny and nuzzling her cheek against the other doe's.

"Oh did you recently discover a way to make her listen to you?" Delta asked with a snort as he walked up and extended a paw to Nick, the canine's giving one another friendly nods as they shook paws. The painted dog was in his own version of the lodge uniform. The long sleeved gray uniform was slightly faded compared to Nick's. His pants were cargos though which made Nick slightly jealous, the fox missing the extra pockets.

"Well no but…"Nick trailed off as Trisha finished greeting Judy and waddled over to Nick.

The fox didn't even hesitate and simply opened his arms and gave the brown bunny a gentle hug, the bunny nuzzling her face against the fox before letting him go and letting out a yawn.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Delta chuckled before looking down at a half-awake Trisha who walked back to him, holding her arms open. "Good morning my little zombie bun."

Trisha cooed as she was wrapped up in her painted dog's arms and squeezed.

"So why exactly are we here so early?" Nick asked, hoping to finally get an answer to why he wasn't curled up in his warm comfy bed.

Someone just behind the fox cleared their throat and Nick nearly jumped before turning around to see Ranger Chris Wolfard standing just behind him. The large canine in his regular dress uniform which looked freshly pressed.

"Morning Rangers," The wolf said firmly, his lips curling into a grin. "Time to raise the flag."

The flag raising ceremony was a remnant of the past. Most places didn't even bother making a big deal about raising and retreating their flags. The mammals at the lodge though kept up the tradition to the point where many visitors took the time to wake up early just to watch the ceremony.

Nick had only seen such events in old western movies. The soldiers on the frontier standing at attention in some kind of log fort as their company flag was raised with the rising sun. He never in his wildest dreams thought he would be a part of such a ceremony.

While Chris gave off an essence of authority he was actually rather casual when he explained to the newest ranger what was expected of him during the flag raising.

All Nick had to do was stand at attention alongside the other two rangers while Chris raised the flag. He would then give the command, they would give a quick salute, pose for the cameras, and they were done.

"All the more reason to get dressed up," Chris pointed out, his eyes going to Trisha in her normal ranger shorts and short sleeve shirt showing off a bit of fur.

"Oh hush," Trisha chuckled before striking a pose. The bunny flexing one of her legs, showing off her rear while giving the two canines a flick with her tail. "I look good."

The ceremony itself wasn't the only neat part of the flag raising, the place in which it took place was especially unique.

Chris led the rangers and the tour group up through the lodge and onto the roof where the flags sat on a kind of raised viewing platform. A series of rails sat around the perimeter of the platform so mammals could gather without the risk of falling off.

An otter in a parks uniform like Judy's was leaning against one of the railings, cleaning a trumpet made just for her. She smiled up at all the approaching mammals and let a smug smirk grace her lips at the sight of Trisha who hurried over.

"What are you doing up this early?" The otter asked as she was wrapped in a hug, her head being brought to Trisha's chest as she closed her eyes, nuzzling into her friend.

"Woke up to see you," The bunny teased.

Chris cleared his throat which made the two giggling females calm down and hurry back to their positions.

The arctic wolf turned to the tourists as the Rangers got in position just behind him by a series of flag poles. Chris cleared his throat as loud as he could which caused the tourists to fall silent and look up at the wolf with a mix of curiosity and excitement, the occasional flash from a cell phone or camera didn't even seem to phase the wolf as he went into a little more detail about the ceremony.

As it turned Nick was on point with his ideas of the old frontier raisings. Chris explained to the onlookers how they used to hold the ceremony at Camp Currey which used to be a fort that housed the regiment of soldiers tasked with patrolling the forest under orders from the president. Soon the job of protecting the forest and its visitors fell onto the rangers who happily took over many of the duties, including the flag raising ceremony.

A paw went up in the back row, a skunk with his two kits looked up at Chris with a smile. The ranger nodded at the male who lowered his paw.

"Sir was just curious what flag will be raised today. I don't recognize the pattern," The skunk asked as he nodded to the flag currently folded into a triangle that was being held respectively by Chris.

The wolf grinned, "Excellent question, I normally get that one after we have raised her. Way back when the parks were being founded and protection was being established for the forests our founder, President Roosevelt wanted to establish an agency whose whole goal was the protection of our new national parks. He decided to at first leave that up to the army but understood that he would need mammals whose whole focus was the forests. When it was time for us to take over-"

"He is so old he was probably there," Trisha whispered to Nick who snorted at the comment about Chris's age.

"-It was decided to create a flag that reminded us where we come from but also what we are protecting. Now some flags have different names and this one is no different. Some call it our Frontier Flag, or the Tree shield, me? I prefer the Bull Moose flag as a nod to our founder."

Hearing the story of the flag made Nick feel his chest swell with pride, knowing that this was now a story that involved him.

Judy who was standing to the side of the flagpoles noticed how much taller Nick seemed to stand, how the fox now had a look of pride on his normally smug muzzle. She had to take a second to look away and collect herself, realizing just how much more handsome the tod now looked.

While Chris was answering another question Delta whistled to get the old wolf's attention. Chris turned to look at the painted dog who nodded off into the distance. The sun had begun to peak over the mountains, signaling a new day had begun. Chris turned to the tourists and apologized, explaining how it was a new day and time for the flag to be raised. The crowd of mammals fell silent, a kind of excited energy coming off everyone present.

Trisha gave Nick a silent signal and the three rangers got into position. The three of them standing in front of the flag poles with their backs to the group of tourists. Delta was on one end, next was Trisha, then Nick.

Chris approached the center flagpole and unfolded the flag.

The otter who Trisha had been chatting with stood to the side of the flag poles next to Judy and gave her trumpet a quick look over.

"Time to wake everyone up," The smaller mammal whispered to Judy who let out a chuckle.

"Rangers! Attention!" Delta barked.

As one Nick, Trisha, and Delta suddenly snapped into a more attentive stance as they stood before the flag now being raised by Chris. The otter who Trisha had been chatting with put the trumpet to her lips and played Reveille as the flag ascended into the sky.

It wasn't until the flag had reached full staff that Nick got a proper view of it.

The flag reminded him of older times. A series of red and white stripes went across the flag. In the center sat the Parks famous logo. A blue shield with a single black pine tree sitting in the center. There was something different about it though. In the center of the tree sat a single white star. Nick recognized it as a form of what some called the Unity flag, the flag was flown by old armies when mammals were still becoming civilized.

The wind caught the Bull Moose flag and it suddenly snapped, giving everyone a perfect view. Nick could hear a series of snaps behind him and smirked. It wasn't until he heard a snap to his left that his ears twitched. The fox chanced a glance over at Judy who had her cell phone out, a proud smile on her lips as she looked right at Nick.

"Rangers!" Chris barked, having taken his position next to Delta. "Salute!"

As one the four rangers raised their paws and gave the flag a salute, remaining still for an extra second or two as the tourists snapped more pictures.

Time stood still for Nick. Keeping his head forward he glanced over at his fellow rangers. He hoped Judy had gotten a picture of this because it was something he never wanted to forget.

Had he been back in Zootopia he would have probably been on his own or maybe working some kind of con with Finnick.

Here out in the forests of Fairfax, he was standing at attention as the sun rose over the valley standing side by side mammals who had not only treated him with respect and kindness but had brought him into their family.

This was one of those moments that reminded Nick why his training was so important. It wasn't just a matter of keeping this job to stay with Judy, though that was one of the main reasons.

No, it was so he could be the best ranger he could. So he could work alongside these mammals that he called friends.

When the ceremony was completed there was a polite applause from the visitors who milled about for a few extra minutes. Some of them taking pictures of the flag, others snapping a shot of the beautiful sunrise in the distance.

Nick had joined Judy to the side of the raised platform, the bunny was messing with one of the buttons on the ranger's shirt when he heard someone approach from behind.

"Excuse me, sir?" Came a tired yet sweet voice just behind Nick who turned to see a badger looking up at him.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I didn't mean to interrupt but I was wondering if you had a moment to take a picture with one of our scouts," The badger said as she adjusted the large pawbag that had been slung over her shoulder. Nick recognized the badger as the chaperone to the junior ranger scouts who had been scampering around the lobby earlier.

"He would love to," Judy said sweetly, more than happy to volunteer her fox for such a thing. Not that Nick had planned to turn down the request, to begin with.

"Oh, wonderful. We have a new member you see and he is a bit shy, but when he saw you next to the other rangers he got so excited," the badger explained as she led Judy and Nick over to the group of junior ranger scouts.

"Gotta love a fox in uniform," Judy teased.

Nick gave his bunny a sly wink as they followed the badger.

"Gabe come over here so we can get a picture for your parents," The badger instructed.

Nick heard Judy let out a small gasp as they watched a young fox emerge from the group of scouts. He had a shyness about him that made the scene that much more adorable.

Memories of Nick's younger years came flooding back. He remembered how he had wanted so much to be a scout. To be a part of something. How he had been denied all of that and bullied for being a fox. Had Nick seen this tod a few months ago he may have felt a pang of regret or maybe sadness. Now though he felt something different. He couldn't explain why but he felt redeemed at that moment. Here he was, training to be a ranger, and now a young tod stood before Nick wearing the same uniform he once did many years ago. The way the young mammals all looked up to Nick made him feel a sense of pride.

"Well hey there scout," Nick began as he took a knee.

"Hello sir," Gabe said, looking down at the ground and then back to the fox before him.

Nick heard an odd noise next to him and turned to see Judy with her paws under her chin as she tried her best not to gush about what she was witnessing. What was worse was Trisha who as currently behind Judy, her chin resting at the gray doe's shoulder as she too tried to contain just how adorable she thought the scene was.

 _Never gonna hear the end of this…_

"So tell me, Gabe," Nick began as he looked back at the young tod before him, "What merit badges have you earned so far?"

At this point, the tod reached down to a small sash and held it up so Nick could see. A pawful of small circular patches had been hastily stitched onto the fabric.

Nick let out a low whistle, "Wow. How long have you been a scout?"

"A little while…"The tod said nervously, rubbing one of his paws against the ground.

"Oh my gosh, I'm gonna die," Trisha whispered to Judy as the two does shook with excitement.

"He has been with our troop for about a month now, this is his first trip on his own, isn't that right Gabe?" The badger said sweetly.

"A month? You have already gotten all those badges in a month?" Nick said in astonishment. "Wow, you are on your way to being a master scout in no time bud."

The kind words made Gabe grin, his tail swishing back and forth.

The two foxes posed for a picture. Nick remaining on his knee as he put a paw on Gabe's shoulder. Nick did his best not to look too smug as the badger took several pictures. He wanted to say something when Judy hurried up and stood next to the badger, her own phone snapping as many shots as she could, but he thought better of it.

 _Annnnnnd now there is photographic evidence….really not gonna hear the end of this._

Gabe wasn't the only scout who got a picture with a ranger. Several more pictures were taken. One of them had the whole junior scout group and the four rangers posing near the flagpoles. Judy taking as many pictures as she could.

When the photo shoot was done Chris led the tour group back down into the lodge.

"Wow, you are on your way to becoming a master scout," Trisha mimicked Nick as the other Rangers made their way to a small café to get some much-needed coffee.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Nick grumbled. "You're just jealous they wanted a picture of me."

"And your foxy good looks," Judy teased which caused the others to burst into laughter.

"Oh just for that you have to buy me a muffin too," Nick said with a wink as they approached the counter where a young raccoon was currently preparing the café for the day.

Since they had arrived at the lodge so early they had time to just sit and enjoy some pastries and coffee. It was at that point plans for the days training was laid out.

"So was thinking since you are already dressed up and we are here," Trisha said as she reached over and plucked a small piece of Nick's muffin from his plate, the fox holding his paws up and looking at Delta who simply chuckled. "Chris can show ya around the lodge in case you actually end up as the lodge ranger."

"Thought that was why I was brought on in the first place," Nick pointed out as he reached for his coffee and took a sip.

"Oh no, you were brought on as eye candy for Judy," Delta corrected. "…and the rest of us."

Nick coughed on his warm beverage as he tried his best not to have hot coffee come out his nose.

"Hey you can look but no touching," Judy warned the painted dog as she pointed a fork in Delta's direction.

"What? How can one resist his foxy looks?"

"Okay, so I called myself foxy one time!"

The other mammals burst into laughter at Nick's comment as the fox slouched back in his seat.

Once breakfast was done the group made their way to the conference center through the lobby. Nick noticed how the large atrium was starting to become livelier as mammals began to wake for the day. Many of them were visitors to the lodge but occasionally a park employee was seen hurrying off to an office or maybe on their way to the café for some food before the workday.

When they reached the conference center Nick noticed several mammals in uniforms milling about. He recognized a pawful of them from previous encounters.

There was superintendent Flo who was currently chatting with a Zebra in what appeared to be a Firemammal uniform.

The Sheriff was sitting in a chair reading over some notes in a folder.

Even the raccoon who had given Nick a last minute pep talk before his interview was present. She, however, seemed to be more focused on making sure everyone had what they needed before they entered the conference room reserved for this meeting.

"Morning Cuz," Delta said as he walked past Nick and approached another painted dog who turned and smiled at the approaching ranger.

The two painted dogs embraced in a familiar hug, the other painted dog closing her eyes as she was held. Nick watched the exchange and studied this new canine closely. She wasn't a ranger that much was clear from her uniform. The mammal was dressed in what appeared to be a Forestry uniform.

While the town of Fairfax had its own Fire department, the National Park depended on the Forestry service to keep the whole place from going up in smoke. These mammals would be the ones to fight the fires out in the wilderness. Nick had heard it was an incredibly dangerous job and the mammals in the service were ones to be respected.

"Hey Delta."

"Copper!" Trisha exclaimed as she scurried over.

"Oh gosh," The painted dog managed to get out before the small brown bunny propelled herself up into the air, making contact with the canine, causing a muffled thump.

"Morning Trisha," Copper managed to get out as she was squeezed around the neck. Once Trisha had gotten enough affection she was set down by the canine who turned to smile at Nick and Judy. "Judy, how have you been?"

"Been good, don't think you and Nick have met yet have you?"

Copper shook her head and approached, extending a paw towards the fox.

"Ranger," Copper said firmly.

"-In training," Trisha teased from the side which caused Nick to roll his eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Copper," Nick began as he looked into the dark green eyes before him. Something on the painted dog's cheek caught his eye. It was an odd marking. A dark green tree in a shield had been painted onto the dog's fur. Copper must have taken notice and smiled kindly.

"Some of my pack still follow the old traditions, when you are painted you make sure others know it," Copper explained. "Unlike certain others who washed it off the next day."

"Hey now! It's not required to keep it shown…" Delta pointed out.

Copper leaned a little closer to Nick, "It's not, but I enjoy teasing him about it because he felt so guilty afterward. It's fun guilt tripping him."

Nick chuckled as he looked from Copper and then to Delta, "I like her."

The gang spent some time catching up. Nick learning a little more about the various departments as the different mammals milled about.

Skye made an appearance at one point and took some time to check in with Nick about his training.

"I have been getting excellent reports," Skye explained, seeming unphased by Trisha who had climbed up on the fox's back and was currently looking at Nick from over Skye's shoulder. "I have also been getting noise complaints about a certain someone's cabin," Skye grumbled as she looked over her shoulder at Trisha who grinned.

"Can't help it if Delta makes me howl at night," Trisha teased with a wink.

"Ranger Rose," Skye said quickly, a light blush going across her cheeks.

Eventually, it was time for the meeting to begin.

Delta and Judy would be busy at the meeting presenting what information had been gathered by the different conservation teams. Copper would be representing the Forestry department and had her own reports to present. Skye had a set of reports from the Ranger's as well. With so many presentations Nick began to wonder if the meeting would end anytime this week.

Since neither Nick nor Trisha was needed at the meeting it was time for them to bid farewell to the others.

"I'll call you when the meeting is done, maybe we can get some lunch," Judy said sweetly as she looked up at Nick. The way her bright purple eyes stared at him made the fox want to wrap the bunny up in a hug. He had to restrain himself though since they were both technically on the clock.

"Ranger Rose let go of him! We have a meeting!"

Judy and Nick turned to see Skye who was trying to pry Trisha from Delta. The bunny and painted dog sharing a rather passionate kiss which looked to be more for Trisha's benefit as Delta was trying his best to get free.

Nick used this as an opportunity and leaned down, giving Judy a surprise peck on the lips while everyone else was distracted. The gray bunny blushed as she wiggled in place.

"Remember Carrots, no matter what happens in the meeting we can figure this out together," Nick reminded as he ran a paw down one of the doe's ears.

"Thanks, Two Forks," Judy whispered before she skipped off to her meeting.

Once the doors to the meeting were closed Nick couldn't help but stare at them for a second or two. He realized that at this moment his job may hang in the balance, all of their jobs were on the line actually.

Nick felt a pang of regret. The irony was undeniable, here he was in this rustic paradise only for the chance of it being all closed down. After spending so much time in Zootopia it didn't seem fair that things would change here after having only been in Fairfax for a short time.

"Alright so while they are stuck in a boring meeting," Trisha began as she strolled over to Nick, looping one of her small arms around his. "How about we cause trouble here in the lodge?"

Nick smirked down at the mischievous ranger next to him, "Only if more coffee is involved."

"Nick…" Trisha began to groan. "It's super early in the morning, of course, more coffee is involved."

"Good because-"

"You're buying," Trisha said with a wink as she steered him away from the conference center and back into the main lobby.

While strolling through the main lobby Nick spotted Chris coming from behind the reception desk, a giggling ewe standing behind the counter, smiling at the wolf as he wandered away.

"Wooing the ladies as always," Trisha chuckled as they approached the wolf in uniform.

"I am merely checking in with my fellow lodge staff," Chris said innocently.

"Making them fall at your feet," Trisha continued.

"Ranger Rose," Chris grumbled.

"Mmmm….I swear when he uses the formal talk," Trisha said as she playfully fanned herself.

Chris looked over at Nick who simply shrugged, "Yeah it was like that all last week."

"It's been like that since she arrived years ago," Chris pointed out.

"Bawwww, you remembered," Trisha giggled.

"Like a nightmare," Chris teased but smirked down at the bunny who beamed. "So you two are loitering in my lodge today?"

Trisha nodded happily, her ears flopping slightly, "Was hoping you could show the foxy ranger here around and give him an idea of your duties."

"Foxy Ranger?" Chris asked as he raised an eyebrow at Nick.

"I called myself foxy once! Just once!"

"That's all it takes," Trisha giggled.

Chris rolled his eyes but a smile lingered on his muzzle, "Alright then, come on Foxy."

"Oh Chris not you too," Nick groaned.

While Nick had been to the lodge before on several occasions Chris still managed to show the foxy ranger a few new things. One of them being the chandeliers

Nick couldn't believe that he had been here so many times and had never bothered to take a second to look at the different iron and smooth wood chandeliers. Keeping with the rustic aesthetic of the lodge the three large lights told a different story. Nick noticed how one had several large trees shaped into the wood. Another had a series of iron trains around the edge. The one he enjoyed most of all was the center one. Chris explaining how it was the newest edition.

"New as in 10 years old….so that's should tell you how old he-" Trisha began but Chris reached over and flicked the tip of one of the bunny's ears, causing her to shut her mouth.

Nick was only half listening as he studied the intricate design of the chandelier. Even at this distance, he could make out the unique design of a firewatch tower.

 _Looks like Two Forks_

"Chris," Came a frantic sounding voice nearby.

The three rangers turned to see a rather hesitant looking bobcat approaching. The feline was in a dark green outfit that was normally worn by the receptionists, a kind of formal attire that reminded Nick of some of the more ritzy establishments back in Zootopia.

"Carol, what can we do for you?" Chris asked as he gave the approaching mammal an encouraging smile.

"Got a bit of a situation at check-in," Carol said as she nodded back to the main reception desk.

Nick looked past Carol and noticed several mammals milling about part of the main desk.

"Situation?" Chris asked as he glanced past Carol and then back at the nervous looking feline. He then looked back at Nick and Trisha and smirked, "Shall we Rangers?"

As they approached the reception desk Nick eyed a pair of mammals that seem to be the cause for such a tense atmosphere. He had to resist the urge to smile smugly at the sight. If he had looked like a fish out of water when he first arrived these two looked like they were from another planet.

A lovely black she-wolf was standing with an embarrassed smile. Her fur was tinted with bright red down her muzzle. Nick could only guess it went on down the rest of her body as she was currently wrapped up in a brand new looking hiking jacket and pants.

Next to her was a tough looking snow leopard in a brand new jacket and pants combo who was currently trying to explain something to one of the lodge managers who was apparently not having any of it.

Chris cleared his throat as they approached which caught everyone's attention. The wolf gave the group a warm smile before zeroing in on the snow leopard.

"Good morning," Chris began and Nick noticed how the normally soft-spoken wolf suddenly turned into a figure of authority. His voice while polite still carried a curtness that told everyone he meant business. "I am Ranger Wolfard, what can we do for you today."

"Finally," The snow leopard said as he took a step towards Chris and extended a paw. "Adam Savage just wanted to finish checking in for a campsite we have reserved, maybe you can explain to them this is no big deal."

"And what exactly isn't a big deal?" Chris said as he shook the feline's strong paw, standing his ground.

"Yes Adam, explain to everyone," The black and red she-wolf grumbled, if Nick didn't know any better she was blushing.

"Well I am retired military you see and I don't go anywhere without being prepared," Adam began to explain.

"Same," Chris said firmly. "Always have a medkit standing by, some supplies-"

"A high powered rifle?" Carol asked which caused everyone to freeze.

"Rifle?" Chris asked with a slight scowl.

"Well it's just something I carry in case," Adam began to explain.

It was at this point Trisha did her normal Trisha thing. The bunny ignoring everyone as she hopped up on the reception desk and inspected a dark green case that had been laid out on the polished wood. She used one of her large feet to flip open the already unzipped case and let out a low whistle.

Nick wasn't a weapons expert, far from it actually. Even he knew though that the weapon before him was a serious tool of destruction. The weapon had a special scope and several other attachments that made it look like it belonged in some action movie and not out on a woodland vacation.

"Geeze son! You starting a war or ending one?" Chris asked as he took a step closer to the weapon.

"Oh, he is starting something that's for sure," The she-wolf grumbled. "Adam this was supposed to be a nice friends retreat!"

"Friends?" Trisha asked with a smirk as she eyed the couples gear.

They had all the basic necessities. However, one thing did seem to stick out to Nick and Trisha. There was only one sleeping bag.

"Hush," The she-wolf said to the smug looking bunny.

"Back in my day we had nothing like this that's for sure," Chris began as he inspected the weapon, he didn't pick it up at all but he did take a closer look.

"That's because they hadn't discovered fire yet," Trisha teased.

"Ranger Rose…" Chris grumbled.

"I hate that name."

Nick remained at the edge of the group and watched as the two rangers inspected the weapon. Adam doing his best to explain how it really wasn't a big deal. The black and red dyed wolf doing her best to not die of embarrassment. He was trying his best to just take everything in and learn from the more senior rangers how to handle this kind of situation.

"Listen, son," Chris said as he turned to Adam who tried his best to keep calm. "We occasionally allow weapons into the parks but only with off-duty law enforcement."

Adam rubbed his paws together and eagerly reached into his pocket.

"I swear if he pulls out another gun…" Trisha said hesitantly.

It wasn't a gun.

Adam pulled his wallet out and flipped it open, revealing a shield that made Nick suddenly rather nervous.

"You're ZPD?" Chris asked as he took Adam's wallet and inspected the shield along with the credentials.

"Yessir, part of a tactical unit."

"Let me guess," Trisha began as she looked down at the high powered rifle at her feet. "You are the comms mammal."

Adam was about to correct the bunny but his friend simply put a paw on his and shook her head, "She is teasing you, hun."

"She does that officer," Chris said as he studied the credentials and retrieved his radio that had been clipped to his belt. "If you don't mind I just have to call this in to confirm you are who you say you are."

"Of course," Adam said as he put his paws at his side and smiled.

It was at this point his companion rolled her eyes and looked at Nick, "I am so sorry for this, he said the bag had fishing equipment in it."

"Well I mean you could technically fish with it," Nick pointed out.

"Oh, I would love to try that!" Trisha exclaimed and winked at Nick.

"See Kelly we could still fish-" Adam began but a slap on the arm shut him up.

"Keep it up and we will be buying an extra sleeping bag at the general store."

"Ohhhh snap! Someone is in trouble," Trisha teased.

Apparently, no one was safe from the bunny's teasing, whether they be ranger or visitor.

After calling in the mammal's credentials Chris took a minute or two to ask Adam a few questions about the ZPD. The whole thing felt very casual and not in any way Nick would have thought things would go.

The fox realized that this was just another day to Chris and that if this seemed normal to him it would be best for Nick to be prepared for more things like this.

"Ranger 2 for dispatch," Came a friendly voice over the radio.

"Go ahead," Chris said, as he gave Adam a smile.

"Everything is 10-4 on that last check, off-duty from Zootopia, for our records what is the make and model of the pawgun they are requesting to bring in?"

Chris looked at the high powered rifle on the reception desk and then at Adam who gave a weak grin.

"They are checking in a rifle to our lodge's gun safe and then continuing on their way to their campsite," Chris said, telling everyone present what exactly was going to happen.

While looking slightly defeated Adam simply nodded, an understanding smirk on his lips as he let out a sigh.

The lodge had a safe specifically made for storing weapons for visitors. It rarely saw any use and Chris had to use a bit of muscle to get the thing open. He explained to Adam that they would get his information and keep it down for when he wanted to come pick up his weapon.

The snow leopard looked somewhat saddened by the whole situation but perked up when Kelly started to rub his back, "Come on now bud, we can still go fishing if you want."

"Won't be the same.." Adam grumbled.

"Yeah because the fish will still be in one piece instead of blown to bits," Trisha snorted.

Once the two campers were all checked in they headed out the main lobby entrance towards a series of camping trails.

"Thanks again Chris," Carol explained as she put a paw on the wolf's arm and gave him a friendly squeeze.

Chris chuckled and patted the bobcat's arm gently, "Just doing my job, now if you excuse me, have to continue with the dime tour."

With that, the three rangers took their leave and made their way through the rest of the lodge.

"You see Nick you have to find a balance between being firm but also keeping the situation calm," Chris began to explain as they made their way down one of the halls. "There was no need for that youngin to bring in such a high powered weapon into my forest. However simply shouting about it would have just escalated the situation. Plus he seemed nice enough and didn't intend to do any harm. At the same time though we have to make sure that visitors to our parks understand we are the law around these parts. It's a balance. One that certain other rangers have yet to learn."

"Is that a jab at me old timer?" Trisha growled as she looked up at the wolf.

"Well what would you have-" Chris began.

"Begins with a P and ends with inecone," Trisha teased which caused the canines to share a snort.

The rest of the day was not nearly as eventful but still busy. Occasionally they would get a call from someone in the lodge needing assistance. Nick was somewhat overwhelmed at first with the requirements of being one of the lodge rangers. The list of jobs they performed seemed to go on forever.

While they not only enforced the rules laid out by the parks department they also acted as medics, lifeguards, tour guides, information mammals, etc.

One minute Nick was standing next to Chris, holding a first aid kit as the wolf tended to a young bear cub who had scraped his knee when he slipped off some rocks near the lodge pool. The next they were sharing a laugh as they stood underneath the porte-cochere of the lodge's entrance. They watched as one of the valet mammals, a squirrel, was handed a set of keys almost as large as him. A lion who was checking into the lodge somehow expecting the small mammal to drive the monstrous truck that sat idling nearby.

As the Rangers made their way through the lodge, completing various tasks Nick couldn't help but notice something about Chris. As the day went on he started to lose his normal brisk trot. His eyes seemed to dull. The occasional grunt would become longer and more pronounced whenever they had to traverse a stairwell.

"So what does a ranger have to do to get a break around here?" Nick finally asked after a few hours of wandering the lodge and the surrounding grounds.

"What? Tired already? How you keep up with Judy is beyond me." Trisha teased the fox, giving him a wink.

"There is a breakroom just off the main lobby," Chris explained, leading the others back to the main atrium.

Once inside the breakroom, the three found a vacant table near the far wall.

"Drinks?" Trisha asked as she glanced over at the coffee pots steaming on one of the counters.

"Please, you know how I like it," Chris said as he set his hat down on the table before him.

"Black with something sweet," Trisha said with a wink before looking at Nick.

"Cream, hold the sweet," He began to say as the bunny strolled away.

"Nick when you gonna learn, that when I'm around everyone gets something sweet."

Nick chuckled as he watched the bubbly brown doe skip away, waving at a warthog currently relaxing on a couch on the other end of the breakroom. Nick looked back at Chris who was rubbing one of his legs gingerly.

"Long day," Nick began as he leaned back in his seat.

"They seem to be getting longer," Chris said softly as he massaged his muscles.

"So what is the Parks Department's retirement plan like anyways?" Nick asked, trying not to make it too obvious what he was getting at.

"It's not to bad for someone like me, we had more benefits back in the day which I got to keep, you lot aren't so lucky."

"Story of my life," Nick chuckled. "Given any thoughts to retirement?"

"Thought foxes were supposed to be sly and cunning, not so blunt," Chris pointed out as he put both paws on the table before him and looked right at Nick. "I will give you this Wilde, my son was far more obvious."

"Great minds."

"Nosey minds," Chris corrected.

"So what, you plan on working here till you keel over?"

"Well that wasn't my original plan," Chris chuckled. "But retirement…its not just an age thing…it's a well…"

"Wouldn't know what to do with yourself thing?" Nick asked.

Chris took a moment to study Nick, somewhat concerned how the fox managed to zero in on the problem so quickly.

"Something like that," Chris nodded.

"Could always take up fishing," Nick suggested. "I know a certain safe that has some fishing equipment in it."

Chris roared with laughter at the thought, "Maybe back in my younger years but right now if I fired that damn rifle it would probably knock me on my ass."

"What's this about Chris's ass?" Trisha asked as she arrived with two cups of coffee.

"Talking about Chris's retirement," Nick said simply which earned a scowl from the wolf.

"Oh really now?" Trisha asked excitedly as she set Chris's cup in front of him and wiggled one of her digits, signaling for him to lean down. The wolf complied and Trisha pressed her lips gently against the canine's cheek. "You better come visit me so I can make your coffee the way you like."

Chris let out a sigh as he sat back up in his seat, "I still have lots of time left."

"To enjoy retirement," Nick pointed out.

He couldn't explain it but he felt like he was talking to a relative right now. He had heard stories about Ranger Chris Wolfard from Trisha and Judy. How he had served the parks department after leaving the army. How many forest fires he had helped with, how many mammals he had saved out in the wilds, stories of the canids adventures were well known in their small community. Hearing all these stories made Nick respect Chris, but it also made him somewhat concerned.

Sitting there and having a moment to just study the old wolf it was obvious time was starting to catch up with the senior ranger.

"To help protect our forests and those who visit them," Chris corrected.

"Gosh you are such a stubborn old git sometimes," Trisha grumbled as she sat down in her own chair.

"And what pray tell would you have me do Ranger Rose?"

"Take up your son's offer," Trisha said simply.

"Offer?" Nick asked as he looked between the two mammals.

"I am not a city mammal," Chris grumbled. "Besides I don't want to burden my son."

"Chris has a son in Zootopia," Trisha began to explain. "Last time he was out here he kept trying to convince a certain someone to come back to Zootopia with him. I had to turn him down….I mean I was flattered and all but I couldn't leave Delta-"

Chris rolled his eyes which told Nick the doe was joking.

"Who said you would be a burden?" Nick asked as he looked back at Chris.

"Oh right, some bachelor wolf with his old dog of a father lazing around the apartment, I'm sure that will help him with the ladies."

"Or you could move in and try to help him find the right female," Nick suggested which caused Chris to raise his brow. "Heard you have the ladies falling at your feet Chris."

The wolf rolled his eyes and shook his head. Trisha meanwhile giggled and reached over, giving Chris a pat on the paw, "He could use some pointers."

"I just don't want to be a burden," Chris began, falling back on his original excuse

"You won't be Chris," Trisha cut the wolf off. "Trust me, we will miss you like crazy. But we will be so happy for you to finally have time to just relax."

Chris stared at his coffee for a moment before glancing at Nick, "What's the coffee like in Zootopia?"

Nick smirked, "Its ok." He then looked over at Trisha whose bright blue eyes glanced back at him, "Not nearly as sweet as the stuff we got here."

The doe blushed and looked away for a moment. When she finally looked back at Nick she gave him a sweet smile.

"I will think about it," Chris grumbled, it was obvious this conversation had helped but the wolf was still going to think things over.

After a few minutes of enjoying their coffee, Trisha received a text from Delta saying the meeting was over. When Trisha texted the painted dog back asking how it went she received a somewhat worrying message.

"Best to discuss face to face…."

With that, the three rangers gathered their things and hurried out of the break room. Try as he might Nick couldn't help but be anxious about the message from their painted friend. Trisha had a worried look on her normally happy face. Even Chris looked slightly on edge as they made their way briskly through the lobby.

Once back at the conference center they passed by several mammals who were taking their leave. Nick could tell something was up when he spotted a certain pair of painted dogs.

Copper was standing in front of her cousin with a paw on his shoulder. Nick only managed to catch the tail end of the conversation before Copper excused herself.

"- we will figure this out cuz, don't worry ok?"

The words made Nick's heart fall into the pit of his stomach. What was worse was how Judy didn't come to great him right away. The bunny instead remained seated on a couch near the doors that led to the conference room they had gone into earlier.

Nick hurried over to his bunny and took a knee right in front of her.

"Carrots?"

Judy who had been looking at the ground finally looked up at her fox, her eyes were watering.

"Hey Nick…" she said through a sniffle. "We need to talk…"

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers**

 **Sorry, there has been so much time between updates on all my stories. My job has been a lot more demanding as of late and I just don't have the same free time I used to. I will, however, do my best to write when I can so we can keep this story going. Especially after that cliffhanger. Haven't done one in a while so you can't be mad! Ok, maybe not super mad. :P**

 **Special thanks to Zeronone and Lucywings for the use of their OCs Adam and Kelly. Its fun having friends visit Fairfax. :)**

 **Fun announcement time:**

 **Firewatch has a new cover!**

 **The amazingly talented StarfangsSecrets made an awesome new cover for Zootopia:Firewatch and I am absolutely loving it. If you get a chance go check out Star's deviantart and tell her what an awesome job she did on the new cover! :D**

 **More pinecone related hijinks coming soon!**

 **Till then.**

 **Pinecone.**

 **-Blue**


	11. So Long Ranger

-So long Ranger-

-Ranger Training….suspended due to budget cuts-

Nick missed Judy.

The memories of the day before kept playing over and over in the poor fox's mind.

The bunny had been waiting for Nick just outside the conference room where the fate of the parks department had been discussed. Sadly things had not gone so well.

The initial reason for the meeting had been to present the recently gathered information about the forest and its status. What happened next had thrown everyone through a loop.

Several auditors from the government had been sent to Fairfax and attended the meeting. While Judy and her fellow park employees painted a somewhat hopeful picture the auditors didn't see it the same way.

The fact still remained that the parks department and forestry service had depleted its funding fighting the June fire. Even with a bailout of some kind they were looking at a serious deficit.

They all knew they couldn't just shut the parks department down though. It was vital that they still remain in operation. They did, however, have to find ways to cut budgets across the board. Programs were being shut down, events temporarily suspended, and staffing….well some mammals would not be continuing their career with the parks department.

As Judy held back tears she explained all this to her fox. Her voice would quiver on occasion and her eyes were red with irritation. She was still the definition of beauty to Nick who placed a paw on her cheek and tried to comfort the doe.

"They aren't getting rid of you right?" Nick asked, his main concern being Judy who had spent so much of her life here and made a name for herself.

"No, for now, I have been listed as an asset."

"And quite the pair of assets at that," Nick teased which got him a playful slug on the arm from a giggling Judy.

"Nick…the Rangers were brought up….with so many programs suspended they….they are going to have to cut-" Judy began but Nick placed a finger to the doe's lips.

He already knew what she was about to say. He had a feeling when he heard staff cuts what would happen. He hadn't been with the Parks Department for even 6 months yet and knew that if someone was going to be put on the chopping block it would most likely be the new guy.

"Did they say my name specifically?" Nick asked he didn't sound panicked when he asked if anything he was confident. He had to, for Judy.

"No, but Nick.."

"Then, for now, I am still here and we will face that problem when it comes."

That conversation had been yesterday.

Today was a new day.

And from the looks of it was also Nick's last day as a Ranger.

Though it hadn't been said yet the fox was smart and knew where everything was going.

All the Rangers had been called to a mandatory meeting at the Rock Pile. Those that couldn't make it because they were too far from the main region had tuned in via radio.

Trisha and Nick had to share a seat because the room was so full. Nick felt a little awkward about this mainly because Delta was in the room. The painted dog didn't seem phased by this at all though. Having given Nick a pat on the shoulder and a friendly smile before excusing himself to chat with a coyote in similar tactical gear as his own. Nick recognized the other canine as the one that had helped Delta arrest a certain buck at the end of Nick's firewatch season.

Nick looked around the room and studied the mammals of all shapes and sizes. He had gotten to know a few of them during his time training with Trisha. The brown bunny having made sure that Nick got to meet as many of the rangers as they could.

They had all been very friendly and welcoming to Nick. Offering little bits of advice, mostly on how to deal with Trisha. The comments were normally met with a pinecone being tossed at the mammal's head or a playful wink from the bubbly bunny.

Nick felt a pang of regret as he looked around. Having a feeling that after this meeting they may no longer be his co-workers but simply mammals he used to work with.

Skye stood up from her chair right next to Jack and cleared her throat. Everyone quickly fell silent and looked over at the arctic fox who slowly scanned the room. Even though Nick had just met Skye a short while ago his skills as a street hustler came in handy. He could tell just by looking at Skye that she was saddened. As her eyes met with each of her rangers the fox would give off a few tells. Pride, happiness, content. When Nick and Skye's gaze met though there was a slight sadness in the vixen's eyes. That had been all Nick needed to know what was coming next.

Skye prepared to speak but froze when she felt a paw on her arm. She looked down to see Jack giving her a firm look the hare taking in a deep breath as he stared up at his second in command.

"It should come from me Skye," Jack said as he stood up in his seat.

The arctic fox nodded and sat back in her own chair.

Jack was the only mammal not in a ranger uniform. He wore a white button up dress shirt and navy blue slacks. A matching jacket was slung over the chair. He gave off a rather commanding presence for such a small mammal. The more Nick thought about it though the more he realized how all the rabbits in his life seemed to ignore their own size when dealing with others.

"Rangers," Jack began, his words came out with confidence mixed with sadness. "I am not going to waste everyone's time by trying to sugar coat things. I respect you all too much and I also know that Trisha's attention span only lasts so long."

There was a collective laugh from the rangers as they looked over at Trisha.

"Sorry boss you say something? Kinda drifted off there," Trisha teased, giving Jack a wink.

Even in such a somber setting, Trisha managed to get a few chuckles from her fellow rangers.

"The budget is still being assessed but I am not going to lie, this is going to be a rough year for some of us," Jack continued. "Salaried leadership will not be getting a raise this year."

Skye let out a sigh and simply shrugged.

"My part-time rangers," Jack continued as he nodded over at a ewe in the corner. The poor mammal looked terrified as she waited to hear her fate. "We will only be able to provide the minimum standard of hours that are required to keep your benefits."

The ewe let out her own sigh but unlike Skye's, it was one of relief.

"Full-timers," Jack continued which caused most of the rangers in the room to shuffle around nervously. "Goes the same for all of you, which means no more 40 hour work weeks."

"What's the minimum?" Asked the coyote next to Delta.

"35," Jack said firmly.

There was a collective groan, a large grizzly bear on the other side of the room raised his paw quickly.

"We will still be able to provide 40 to those in dire need, such as new parents," Jack said with a smile towards the grizzly who quickly lowered his paw. Jenny who was standing next to the grizzly let out a smile and patted her fellow ranger on the back. Nick remembered meeting the gentle giant of a mammal a few days prior, Trisha informing both Nick and the unaware bear that she was the godmother of the new cub. The bear relented in the end and had even whispered to Nick how he had planned on asking Trisha anyways.

Nick was rather impressed with how Jack managed to control the room. He seemed to know what questions were coming and what answers would keep his rangers calm and collected.

"Sadly some of these changes won't be enough," Jack said with a sigh. "I have been ordered to cut at least 7% of our budget by the end of the month. Now I won't bore you all with the exact details right now but that is a huge chunk of change. I am also only allowed a certain amount of staff."

Nick tensed up in his seat. Trisha must have known what was coming as she reached for the fox's paw under the table and held on tight. The fox was grateful to have a friend like Trisha right then if he was about to be let go then at least he wouldn't have to face the news alone.

As the bunny and fox held paws they both kept their eyes on Jack, sadly the hare looked right at Nick.

Jack looked at the table before him, the parks department logo had been painted in dark green on the polished wood. As he let a soft breath out the rabbit looked back at Nick. Everyone in the room could tell what was coming next. They could also tell how much it pained their leader.

"Nick I want you to know that Skye and I fought this," Jack began.

Trisha's grip on Nick's paw tightened as she let out a shudder.

"If there was some other way trust me we would take it," Jack continued. "Hell, we even suggested selling off some of the trucks or maybe having you at least go seasonal… but I am afraid-"

There was a sudden movement at the side of the table which caused Jack to fall silent. Everyone stared over at Chris Wolfard who had suddenly stood up and cleared his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt Jack but I wanted to take this moment to announce my retirement."

Everyone was so shocked at what Chris had said that it took a few moments to process it.

"Chris you don't-" Nick began but was cut off.

"Quiet Rookie the adults are talking," Chris said firmly as he gazed at the fox.

"Chris I appreciate what you are doing but I can't ask you to," Jack had started but he too was cut off.

"You aren't asking me anything, I just told you I am retiring, simple as that," The old wolf explained as he looked across the table at Jack.

"Chris it is completely obvious-" Skye said as she stood up from her chair.

"That I am old and need to leave this kind of work to the youngins? Yes, I fully agree."

"And if I refuse to accept your request to retire?" Jack managed to get out before Chris could interrupt.

"Refuse?" Chris asked with a wicked grin. "Jack look at me," The wolf waved at his fit form, his uniform neatly pressed, though he may be old he didn't exactly look it. "I am falling apart here, I am growing senile."

"I'll say," Delta joined in which got him a few glares from his fellow rangers. Chris, however, gave the painted dog a wink. "I mean the other day this bag of bones just passed out during the briefing."

"Hadn't had my morning nap yet," Chris added.

Nick couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just moments ago he thought this was over. He thought he would have to leave the Rangers but now thanks to this old wolf he may have a chance.

There were several whispers around the room as the other rangers watched. No one was fooled by all this, they were, however, curious to see how it would play out.

"Chris you have been with the department for so many years, we can't possibly ask you to-"

"Who asked?" Chris questioned. "Wilde didn't, Rose didn't."

"Hate when he uses my last name," Trisha grumbled, her paw still grasping Nick's.

"Delta may have but that's because he knows he will always be the second most handsome canine while I am around."

Delta roared with laughter at the last comment, several other mammals joining in.

"So let's stop pretending for just one minute," Jack said firmly as he raised a paw to get everyone's attention. "Chris, you mean to tell me that you are willing to retire, right here and now for…. Well for Wilde?"

"Hey now," Nick shot back. The fox was about to throw a comment or two Jack's way but he fell silent when he heard Chris's response to the question.

"Absolutely."

The whole room was silent.

The way Chris spoke there was no hesitation. He said the words with a firm confidence that told everyone there was no talking the old wolf out of his decision.

"Besides if you don't let me go I may just start trying to find ways to get fired," Chris suggested playfully.

"Really now?" Skye asked one of her eyebrows raised in a questioning manner.

"Oh yeah," Chris said with a chuckle. "Drinking on shift, swearing, grabbing female Rangers by the tail…you know….how Jack used to be before he was promoted."

This caused the whole room to burst into laughter, including Jack who tried his best to look ticked but failed miserably.

Trisha's paws shot up quickly which caused everyone to look at the small doe, "So do we make an appointment for the tail grabbing or do we form a line?"

The laughter in the room began anew. Delta trotted over to Trisha and put a paw on the small doe's shoulder, giving Chris a look that made the wolf raise his arms in a defensive manner.

Eventually, everyone managed to calm down. A few of the Rangers needed a moment to catch their breathes before the meeting could continue.

Nick was still in a state of shock from all this.

"Ranger Wolfard," Jack began which caused the room to fall silent once more. "I hereby accept your request to retire."

Chris smiled at Jack and gave his leader a nod.

"Ranger Rose?"

"Yes, Ranger Savage?" Trisha asked, throwing some attitude towards her boss. Nick wasn't sure if it was because the hare used her last name or because of her spunky attitude.

"I am now short one Ranger which means you better get Nick up to snuff asap," Jack said as he looked over at Nick and Trisha.

The bunny stood up suddenly in her chair and gave the hare a curt salute, "You can count on me, boss."

"Wilde!" Jack barked which caused the fox to sit up straighter.

"I am sure you can appreciate the importance of all this," Jack began. Nick simply nodded before looking over at Chris who gave the fox an encouraging smile. "Don't let us down."

"Wouldn't think of it, sir."

Before anyone could say anything else Trisha grabbed Nick by the paw once more and hopped off her chair. At first, Nick wanted to protest, he felt he needed to thank Chris before they left.

The fox looked back at the wolf as several of the Rangers gathered around the old canine, many of them shaking his paw or giving him a warm embrace.

When Nick and Chris's eyes met Nick just stared. There was so much he wanted to say at that moment but the words eluded him.

Trisha continued to tug at Nick's arm, insisting that they hurry since they had no time to waste now.

Chris smirked at Nick and gave the smaller canine a kind nod.

Nick simply returned the nod with one of his own, he realized right then that for an old-school mammal-like Chris that was all that was needed.

"We have so much time and so little to do!" Trisha blurted out as they exited the Ranger's conference room.

"Wait what?" Nick asked with a chuckle as he was dragged along.

Trisha froze and thought about what she had just said, "Wait! Strike that, reverse it."

"Alright then Trainer Rose," Nick chuckled as he watched the doe roll her eyes. "What is first on the list?"

"The most important thing."

"Which is?"

"We gotta go tell Judy you still got a job before she puts in her own resignation," Trisha said in a rather giddy manner as the two hurried through the halls of the Rock Pile.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Then the real torture begins."

"Wait what?!"

"Pinecone!"

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers.**

 **Sorry been a bit busy lately. I wish I had a more consistent schedule to write but sadly work has become very demanding.**

 **On top of that, I had to handle a situation involving a group of rouge pinecones wearing a suit and tie and pretending to be the prime minister. We can't have that! Their platform on education is just not feasible! I mean teaching ancient pinecone history should remain as an elective and not a core course.**

 **A short chapter I know but it just seemed like a good place to stop for now. I am already working on the next chapter and with luck, we will have that done soon. :D**

 **I am sorry to see Chris go but don't worry we still have a neat send-off planned for him. He is actually based off of a friend I used to work with who after so many years of working hard protecting and serving he finally took everyone's advice and is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement. I get emails from him (because the old dinosaur hasn't figured out texting yet) about his days. Spends most of them on a dock, smoking a cigar, drinking beer, and watching the fish eat all his bait. I really enjoyed creating this character as a nod to my friend. Hope you all enjoyed having him around.  
**

 **Till next time!**

 **Pinecone!**

 **-Blue**


	12. Ranger Nick Wilde

-Ranger Nick Wilde-

All the rangers were still reeling over Chris's announcement that he would be retiring. Nick was a little worried at first that this may cause the others to turn sour. After all, it was blatantly obvious why Chris had decided to retire.

As it turned out however everyone seemed to understand. This wasn't Nick's fault, it wasn't Jack's, some did theorize it was Trisha's but she was quick to stomp out those rumors. Only to start spreading others that she intended to run away with Chris.

"What about Delta?" some of them would ask with a laugh.

"He can have Nick!"

When Judy found out Trisha was spreading these rumors she did very little to stop them. Suggesting that Nick had really taken this job just to spend time with Delta.

All joking aside, however, the whole of the Park's department had heard about Chris announcing his retirement. Judy couldn't get over what Chris had done for her and Nick. She had taken the time to bake him some muffins as a thank you. When Nick tried to taste test them his paw was immediately swatted away.

"Hey now! Not even one?"

"Not till you become a Ranger," Judy responded, giving the defeated looking fox a wink.

From the looks of it that would be coming sooner rather than later. While originally the plan had been for Nick to train over the course of 4 weeks things had changed drastically. Jack and Skye had informed Trisha to make sure Nick would receive just the right amount of training, for now, the rest would just come later. After all the budget was already being stretched and Jack could only stall for so long.

When Jack had informed Trisha of this she didn't look worried or annoyed. Much to Nick's concern she actually looked excited, a rather mischevious grin crossing her lips.

"Don't worry boss," Trisha said as she looked right at Nick, giving the concerned fox a wink, "He will be ready."

-Ranger training day 8-

"Listen I know you have to do weekly checks on equipment," Trisha said firmly over the phone before glancing over the truck dashboard. The doe studied the road ahead before placing a paw over her phone, "Turn right up here Nick and then keep going straight."

"You got it, boss," Nick chuckled.

While he was somewhat curious what Trisha had planned he kept quiet and let Trisha continue her conversation with the mysterious mammal on the other end of the phone.

"Come on now, how much fuel would that really take?" Trisha groaned and rolled her eyes as she returned to the conversation over the phone.

There was a moment of silence as Trisha listened in, Nick raising one of his ears and leaning down, trying to listen to the phone conversation himself.

Trisha, however, reached up and gave the fox a flick on the ear, "Focus on driving."

"Geeze," Nick grumbled as his attention went back to the road. "Not even a hint."

"Who is that? Oh, that's the rookie," Trisha said with a chuckle. She then let out a snort, "Not really, besides he is spoken for."

Nick let his eyelids droop slightly, having a feeling what the bunny was implying.

"Like maybe a 6 depending on how far out of the region you are," Trisha began as she studied the tod next to her. "Otherwise he is like a Fairfax 2."

"I am at least an 8!" Nick barked.

Trisha rolled her eyes and snorted, "Anyways….what? Oh, he is driving right now. Where to? Well about that."

At that moment Trisha snapped her fingers to get Nick's attention, the doe pointed ahead towards a large wooden sign on the side of the road, she then signaled for the fox to make a left turn towards what appeared to be a steady incline in the road.

The fox followed the directions and soon the rusted pickup truck was bumping up an uneven road on the side of a hill. As they passed the sign Nick chanced a glance and suddenly it became clear where they were heading.

Fairfax Forestry Service Airfield and maintenance.

"What? No, we can't turn round, you know how narrow the road is. At the very least let me show him around and introduce him to some of the team."

There was a pause, Nick suddenly realizing that this may not have been an approved adventure.

"You know you love me, you at the airfield?"

Another pause.

"Awww, well there is always next time, I'll say hi to everyone for ya."

With that, Trisha ended her call then turned to smile at Nick.

"So why do I get the feeling that we weren't invited?" Nick asked as he glanced over at his trainer.

Nick followed the road which weaved alongside the hill. For being so close to an airstrip it was oddly quiet. Nick had to remind himself this wasn't exactly a busy transport hub like the ones back in Zootopia. So it made sense why he didn't hear the normal hum of large engines powering up.

When they reached the top of the hill Nick realized it was actually a large bluff. The Forestry service had picked out a perfect place for an airstrip. The facility was surrounded by trees but they all sat just beneath the bluff, making them feel as if they were on an island surrounded by a sea of green.

There were several buildings spread out on either side of the large airstrip. A weather traffic control tower sat at one end, a series of faded red and white squares painted on its side. An old looking windsock completed the look.

A pawful of hangers sat in a neat row going along the main strip. At the very far end of the airfield were a few large fuel tanks that were sectioned off for safety.

Nick had half expected the place to look like some kind of military air force base he had seen in the movies. Planes of various sizes being taxied around as mammals in uniformed jogged across the strip trying to complete various tasks.

As it turned out this place felt more like a ghost town. Nick spotted a zebra down the strip working on what looked to be a rather bulbous helicopter. A rhino was pushing a cart weighed down with various parts. Other than that though the place was deserted.

It was also oddly quiet, in the distance Nick heard a radio playing a familiar country tune, but other than that the sounds of nature were the only noises.

"Pull up to the first hanger, any spot on the side should be fine," Trisha instructed the confused fox as they drove down the dirt road towards a large green hanger.

Nick pulled into a spot on the end and the two rangers hopped out of the vehicle. Trisha took a moment to stretch before skipping around the truck. Before the bunny could speak however they both heard a familiar voice.

"So this is the trouble I was warned would be heading my way."

Nick and Trisha turned to see a painted dog in a dark green flight suit staring at them. Nick recognized the mammal as Delta's cousin Copper. The dark green park's emblem still painted on her cheek, a confident smirk gracing her lips.

Trisha didn't even hesitate as she skipped over and wrapped her arms around the painted dog's leg, "Morning Copper."

"Boss said no rides."

"Can't I just come and see my favorite painted cutie?"

"What about Delta?"

"I mean he is nice and all but right now you're my favorite, especially right now."

Copper rolled her eyes but took a knee none the less and gave the bubbly bunny a hug. She then looked over at Nick.

"Heard you will be sticking around," Copper said with a smile.

Nick took a few steps forward and nodded. Preparing himself for some kind of guilt trip for being the reason they were all losing Chris.

The painted dog eyed the smaller canine before extending her paw out, "Glad to hear."

Nick was pleasantly surprised as he gave Copper's paw a shake.

Once the greetings were out of the way Copper led Nick and Trisha back towards the front of the hanger. Trisha informing the lovely painted mammal that she had wanted to show Nick the airfield.

"Since the Rangers have to utilize it from time to time," Trisha said innocently.

"But not today right?" Copper said as her lips curled.

"I mean if you were going to do a test flight then I wouldn't turn down a ride."

Copper let out a sigh and looked over at Nick who shrugged, "I am just the driver."

Copper chuckled, "She always manages to rope others into doing her work doesn't she."

"Oi! No teaming up against the adorable ranger bunny," Trisha shot at the two canines.

"So Nick, tell me what you know about the Forestry Services Ariel Response Units" Copper began as they turned the corner and came to the front of the first hanger. Much to Nick's surprise there was no giant aerial vehicle waiting for them. Instead, the hanger was filled with various pieces of furniture, makeshift cubicles, and a break area. The more Nick thought about it the more the current set up made sense. The first hanger was a kind of bunkhouse mixed with living quarters for the members of the forestry service who were probably stuck at the base on call.

"F-SARUs!" Trisha shouted as she threw up her arms.

"Sleeping!" Came a shout from somewhere in the hanger.

Nick snorted and looked over at Copper, "Well I know they are the reason I am alive. One of the helicopters picked your cousin and me up from a bit of a heated situation."

"Heard you had a bit of a bumpy ride," Copper said with a chuckle.

"If you call hanging out of the side as a sea of flames burned beneath me then yes," Nick commented. He then remembered another part of his daring adventure, "Oh and I was somehow attacked by a pinecone."

"A pinecone?" Copper asked as she tilted her head.

"We bumped into a tree," Nick explained.

"Ah! Think you were actually picked up by the Fire department then when Delta told me the story I asked around but couldn't find the crew that had picked you two up, lots of traffic that day and all."

"Well when you do find out who saved me from a flaming pinecone related death," Nick began with a smile, "Give me a shout, I owe them a drink."

The group wandered through the large open hanger as Copper gave them the dime tour. She showed them the living quarters, offices, and break areas. Explaining to Nick that they were kind of like a fire department back in Zootopia. Only all their rigs flew.

"So are you a pilot?" Nick asked as they made their way through the hanger.

Copper shook her head, "Used to be a crewmammal on a helitack..."

Nick noticed something in the young canines tone, his ears flicking slightly.

"I am just finishing up some certs and should be one of our onsite medics soon. We had to have the basics down before joining so I was just a few classes shy of being certified anyways."

"So your old team get tired of you?" Nick asked with a sly smile.

"They died," Copper said simply.

Trisha's ears drooped.

"Oh gosh, Copper, I didn't-"

"Don't be sorry Nick," Copper said with a somber look. "It comes with the job and you didn't know."

At this point, the three mammals arrived at a large wall that had been erected inside the hanger. Black and white pictures of various mammals smiled at them.

"Copper I can show Nick this later…"Trisha said softly as she reached out and grabbed the painted dog's paw.

Copper gave the bunny's paw a squeeze as she looked up at the wall. She pointed to a picture of a handsome coyote, "Arrow, he was our pilot."

She then pointed to the image of a lovely looking deer, the doe was laughing in her image, "Rebecca, co-pilot, she would laugh at anyone's jokes so it seemed fitting to have a picture with that smile of hers."

Nick remained silent as he watched Copper point at different pictures on the wall. It became clear how a mammal would get their picture here, every one of the mammals Copper pointed out was mentioned in the past tense which meant one thing. They were no longer alive.

Copper lead them down the wall of pictures and stopped in front of one of two painted dogs. Upon closer inspection, Nick realized Copper was one of the mammals in the picture. Her smile was bright as she rubbed her cheek against the other female.

"Holly," Copper said softly as she reached out and gently pressed her paw against the picture as if giving the other painted dog a rub on the cheek.

Copper turned to give Nick a smile, "We were engaged. She was a fire jumper."

"Copper I am really sorry," Nick began.

"Don't be sorry Nick, but never forget," Copper pointed at the picture of a grizzly bear in a ranger uniform. "Rangers have given their lives and are on this wall too. Your job is a serious one."

"I know."

The three stood in silence for another moment or two before they were interrupted by the zebra Nick had seen working on a helicopter earlier.

"Hey, Cop they are about to run a quick test flight on Helitack 3."

Copper tried to shut the zebra up but making a slicing motion across her neck but the damage had been done.

"Really, what a coincidence!" Trisha said happily as a broad smile appeared on her lips.

This would be Nick's second time in a helicopter and the fox had to admit this time was a lot more enjoyable. As it turned out helicopter rides weren't so intense when the whole world wasn't on fire around them.

Copper helped the two rangers on board then clambered in herself. The painted dog had put on her gear and Nick noticed she was now wearing a backpack of sorts.

"Is that a parachute?!" Nick asked over the thunderous noise of the engine.

"Don't worry," Copper said with a laugh, "I am required to wear one while onboard in case we get a medical call."

"You jump out of helicopters to give out Band-Aids?!"

"Kinda, right now I'm one of the only mammals on base that can, budget cuts, you know how it goes."

"That doesn't mean you should have to jump out of a perfectly good helicopter!"

"We call this one a Helitack," Copper shouted with a smile. The engine sputtered for a moment but continued as if nothing had happened. "And this one ain't exactly perfect!"

Nick looked over at Trisha who gave Nick a paws up, wiggling with excitement as their tour began.

As they flew over the forest Trisha pointed out various landmarks to Nick who tried to just take it all in. As it turned out Trisha didn't just want a free ride in the chopper. The bunny was very busy pointing out various landmarks and how to get there. That's when Nick realized how important this little field trip had been.

Since Nick's training was now compacted there wasn't enough time to drive all over the regions in which he would be patrolling. An aerial tour allowed them to cover more of the region and give Nick an idea of where everything was.

"Would they mind taking us over Pinewood River?" Trisha asked into a microphone.

Due to the noise inside the helitack, the main way to communicate was via a headset. Trisha had to press one of the earphones to her head since they were made for canines and not necessarily for her large ears.

The pilot was more than happy to help Trisha with any of her requests. As it turned out they needed to do several tests which meant they had a lot of flight time to burn.

When they flew over a large river Trisha pointed it out to Nick, "That's where we are training tomorrow."

"Swim test?" Nick asked with a laugh.

-Ranger Training Day 9-

"River Rescue!" Trisha shouted as she puffed out her chest.

"Why exactly am I here?" Judy asked as she stepped up so she could stand next to her friend, looking out at the cool water flowing down the river.

Both bunnies were dressed for a day in the water. Trisha wearing a blue pawaiian bikini top and swimming shorts.

Judy meanwhile was sporting a dark purple two-piece that had Nick panting. The fox eyeing the bunny before him with a hunger that made the gray bunny blush on occasion.

"Well we need to practice team rescue," Trisha began with a smile. "Also anything to get you into a bikini."

Judy snorted at Trisha's comment but struck a pose none the less, the brown bunny giggling as she eyed her friend.

Nick took a moment to watch the two bunnies tease one another. This was another one of those moments he was glad he had taken the summer job as a Firewatcher. Had he ignored the posting he would probably be back in Zootopia working on some scam just trying to get by.

Here though he was at the edge of a refreshing looking river with the bunny he loved and his best friend.

The last bit hit him like a rock as he thought it over.

 _Best friend?_

He looked over at Trisha who was now clapping her paws together trying the get more poses from Judy.

 _Yeah, seems about right._

Trisha looked over at Nick and gave the fox a wink, "Told ya training with me was fun."

"Well I can only hope Judy doesn't dress up in a swimsuit for all the other ranger training groups," Nick teased as he looked over at his bunny.

"Only you," Judy said as she turned to wiggle her rear at the fox.

"What about Chris?" Trisha asked.

Without skipping a bit Judy wiggled her rear once more, "Only you and Chris."

"Delta?"

"You, Chris, and Delta."

The three shared a laugh as Trisha signaled for them to approach the river.

Nick took a few steps towards the water and studied the crystal clear liquid. It wasn't exactly very deep where they had set up, and from the looks of it, the current wasn't very strong.

"So we aren't only here to ogle a certain someone in their swimwear," Trisha began.

"I know, the ladies can't keep their eyes off me," Nick said as he put a paw to his bare chest and closed his eyes. When he opened them he saw two sets of raised eyebrows, a pair of questioning bunnies staring at him. "Oh, that's cold."

"Anyways," Trisha said with a chuckle. "We need to teach you the basics on river rescue."

"Firewatcher, ranger, paramammal, and now lifeguard," Nick grumbled.

"Get used to it Two Forks," Judy said with a chuckle. "The Parks Department depends on the Rangers to wear multiple hats."

"And with the budget being slashed left and right we are probably going to be pretty busy," Trisha added before stepping into the river, the water going up past her ankles. She let out a sudden shiver.

"Cold?" Judy asked as she watched her friend shake.

"Nooooo…," Trisha said innocently her words coming out in a shiver, it didn't fool Nick or Judy in the slightest. "Listen you are gonna have to get in here eventually for training."

"I am not the one needing training," Judy pointed out as she stuck her tongue out at Trisha before nodding over to Nick. "He is."

"This is true," Nick began as he walked up behind Judy, scooping the small bunny up in his arms.

"Nick?!"

"But we are in this together right Carrots?"

"Don't you dare!" Judy laughed as she tried to wriggle free to no avail.

Trisha took a step to the side, clearing a path for Nick who waded into the brisk but still refreshing water. He felt a shiver go up to his spine but continued deeper into the river.

"Two Forks I swear if you dunk me I will have you posted so far you will need a-"

Before Judy could finish her threat Nick turned around and took a deep breath, falling back into the river with Judy still in his arms. The sudden surge of frigid water around him caused Nick to tense up and quickly move to the surface.

When his head breached the water he let out a gasp, Judy on the other paw let out a few rather colorful words as she began to slap the fox on the side of the head.

Once the group had become acclimated to the cold water Trisha began to fill Nick in on exactly what they were doing there.

As it turned out a great deal of the closer regions had various waterways that weaved through the forests. Since these regions were still available to the public it was vital for Nick to understand what to do in case someone fell into a river or needed some kind of aquatic rescue.

As Trisha explained all this Nick glanced over at Judy who was wringing her ears of water. The bunny tossed her soaked appendages over her shoulder and took in a deep breath.

The rest of Trisha's training fell on deaf ears as Nick became somewhat spellbound by his bunny currently clad in a lovely purple two-piece. His eyes taking in every delicious feature of Judy's figure.

What was most odd was how his eyes lingered on her chin. The bunny taking a minute to stretch and look upward.

The small white patch of fur just beneath her mouth was revealed and all of the sudden Nick's mind focused on something he hadn't thought about in some time.

 _Would she let me? Would I have to explain what it all meant? Would she be weirded out? Do bunnies even know about marks?_

"Oi daydreamer!" Trisha barked, snapping her digits in Nick's face. "Time to return to reality!"

Nick shook his head suddenly and blinked a few times, "Sorry boss, drifted off."

"Happens when she wears the two-piece," Trisha said with a smirk as she looked over at Judy who gave them both a playful wink.

"Anyways," Trisha said as she looked back at Nick, the fox noticing the slightly red tint going up the brown bunny's ears.

 _Look but don't touch you, little troublemaker._

"River rescue."

"See a sinker jump in," Nick said simply.

Much to Nick's surprise, both bunnies shook their heads.

"What let them sink?"

"Assess," Trisha said simply. "An important trait of the Rangers is to assess their surroundings."

"Like Delta did when he tranqed me?" Nick asked with a smirk.

"In fairness, you came running at us from behind in an aggressive manner," Trisha pointed out with her own smirk. "He had his back turned and assumed someone was trying to get the drop on us. So he assessed his situation and utilized what tools he had to protect himself and more importantly me."

Nick was about to speak up but realized that the brown bunny had a point.

"Plus seeing you get tranqed was really funny."

Nick's eyelids drooped and he began to grumble about using a tranq gun on a certain brown pain in his tail.

"So you need to assess the situation when you arrive," Trisha said firmly as she nodded back at Judy and then towards the water. "It should only take a few seconds though, don't be standing at the edge of a river while some cute thing in a two-piece is flapping her arms around."

Judy rolled her eyes and waded back into the cold waters till she was about waist deep. Nick watched with an amused look as Judy shivered slightly in the water before looking back at Trisha who cleared her throat.

"In this scenario you are alone," Trisha began. "You have come across a camper who has fallen into a shallow river with a light current. You have to get her out before you both cross that boulder."

Trisha pointed towards a boulder farther down the stream before looking back at Nick, "Fetch!"

Nick turned back to Judy in time to see the doe suddenly fall back in the water, the current carrying her away slightly faster than he expected.

The fox scrambled to the water's edge and quickly jumped in. It wasn't the most graceful of rescues but he managed to get to Judy without either of them passing the boulder. Nick, of course, couldn't help hamming it up a little bit.

"Judy, can you hear me?" Nick asked as he brought her to the shore.

"Good job Two Forks," Judy chuckled as she was carried in the fox's arms.

"She isn't responding!" Nick shouted as he plopped the bunny on the grass near the water's edge.

"Nick!" Judy snorted with laughter.

"I must give her the kiss of life!" The fox shouted dramatically as he leaned down and pressed his lips to Judy's.

"Oh gosh," Trisha chuckled as she put a paw to her forehead.

Judy let out a soft purr into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Nick's neck. The purr, however, turned into a gasp when Nick blew air into the bunny's mouth, mimicking his CPR training.

"Nick oh gosh what the heck?!" Judy burst out laughing.

"Chest compressions," Nick said as he put his paws in the center of the doe's chest.

"Wait ack! Trisha help!"

Trisha scurried over but to Judy's surprise the doe kneeled down next to the doe, she looked at Nick with a mischievous smile, "You handle compressions I'll take care of the breaths."

"Ah!" Judy let out as Trisha leaned down and pressed her lips to the bunny's nose and blew.

Nick let out a laugh as he started to push down lightly on Judy causing her to squeak.

After another minute or two of torturing Judy, the two rangers finally let the gray bunny have a moment to catch her breath, her sweet laughter was like music to Nick who simply watched as Trisha helped Judy up, the two giddy bunnies leaning on one another for support.

"Ok now that we have revived our camper it's time for the next bit," Trisha said as she caught her breath.

Trisha ran Nick through a few simple drills and gave him some advice about his technique. She reminded him that every call he may go on will always throw a curveball and that he would just have to use his best judgment.

"Now if you arrive on scene with another ranger and we have someone in distress one is primary while the other is support," Trisha explained as Judy slowly waded back into the water. "When we arrive and see a situation that requires such a tactic one ranger shouts out primary while the other confirms by saying support."

Nick listened to Trisha and couldn't help but smile at how the bunny could change from bubbly goofball to informative instructor so easily.

"You normally want the larger mammal to be support," Trisha explained.

"Wouldn't it make sense for the bigger one to be primary?" Nick asked.

"It really depends," Trisha said with a smirk. "But most of the time we find it to be more successful for the smaller ranger to go into the water. We focus on getting to the mammal in distress and keep them calm while trying to help them to the water's edge. Meanwhile, the support does everything they can to help the primary. Whether it be standing on the shore ready to lift us up out of the water or throwing a lifeline of some kind."

Nick had to admit it kind of made sense. If he was to depend on someone to pull them out of the water he would prefer it to be a larger mammal rather someone smaller than him who may not be able to pull his weight.

"Once again assessing the situation is key. Sometimes the larger mammal may be the best option. For this scenario though it isn't. You will be support. I will try to get to Judy but I am not going to do a ton of work."

"Sounds normal," Nick said with a smirk.

"You're lucky I didn't pack any pinecones," Trisha shot back. "Anyways, I brought a rope and left it in our gear bags."

Trisha nodded over to their bags which they had left a few feet away from the river.

"Your job will be to go get the rope and toss it at us, I will grab it and then when I say to you pull us out," Trisha said with a smile.

"Wouldn't it be better for me to have the rope already?"

"You plan on carrying a rope around all the time? You are lucky one is even nearby. Sometimes we won't have that luxury and you will have to just make due. Don't ever hesitate to ask campers, park employees, anyone nearby for a rope or some kind of help."

With that, Trisha turned to Judy and gave the doe a nod.

Judy smirked and fell back into the water once more.

"Primary!" Trisha shouted and darted towards the water.

Nick remembered what Trisha had told him and started to run towards their supplies, "Support!"

Nick reached their pile of bags and quickly opened up the one Trisha had brought, a patch with her name was on top of the bag. He noticed how she had taken the time to write a few words around the patch.

"The most beautiful bun in the woods: Trisha Rose, Queen of Pinecones"

Nick opened the bag and was glad Trisha had thrown him a bone, the rope was sitting right at the top. He wished he had more time because Trisha had also left her ranger clothing in the bag and the urge to hide her shorts was overwhelming.

With rope in paw, Nick hurried back to the river and almost froze as he watched Trisha and Judy wading down the river. Sure this was supposed to be some kind of scenario to a real-life situation but they looked so casual. Trisha was behind Judy with her arms around the gray bunny who was laying against her friend. They looked like a couple of spring breakers just floating down a lazy river.

They must have known how silly they looked because they both smirked at the fox who snapped out of his stupor and hurried down the river's edge and tossed the rope.

"Rope coming your way!" Nick shouted.

Trisha reached out and managed to grab it on the first attempt. She looped her arm around the rope and gave it a tug, "Pull us in."

Nick followed the order and began to pull the rope, the bunnies slowly drifting towards the shore.

When they reached the edge Nick helped Judy out first, giving the doe a playful smack on the rear. Trisha was next out of the water, slowly looping the rope over her elbow so she could wrap it up.

"Very good Nick," Trisha said proudly.

"Thanks for the rescue handsome," Judy said as she patted a paw on Nick's chest.

"Now let's make this a little more interesting," Trisha said mischievously.

They ran through a few more scenarios. Trisha occasionally hiding the rope or telling Nick not to use it and try something different.

Nick learned quickly to use his surroundings. His skills as a con mammal coming in handy on occasion as he thought outside of the box. Snapping branches off of trees and using them to help the girls. Tossing a tree stump in so the girls could grab on. Trisha jumped out of the river at one point and chased Nick around when she realized that the makeshift rope he tossed her was made of her clothing all tied together.

"You told me to assess the situation!" Nick shouted as he avoided a pinecone which shot between his ears.

"Judy I'm gonna murder your fox!" Trisha shouted.

"Sounds good," Judy chuckled as she waddled from the water, carrying Trisha's soaked uniform in her paws.

While Trisha chased after a certain troublemaking fox a green pickup truck pulled up right next to the other two trucks parked nearby. Nick's rusted truck had been used to get Trisha and Nick to the river while Judy had borrowed one of the park department's smaller vehicles since she had some office work she needed to get to when they were done here.

Judy happily skipped over to the new arrival as Delta exited the green pick up and took a few steps forward.

"Judy," Delta said with as he greeted the bunny with a friendly nod. The painted ranger froze though as he spotted something just over the doe's ears.

Judy stopped next to Delta and turned to look in the same direction as the painted dog.

"Huh….well you don't see that every day now do ya?" Delta muttered as he tilted his head.

Next to the river sat a large pine tree. There wasn't exactly anything odd about the tree itself. What was odd were the occupants.

Nick was currently several feet above the ground holding onto the tree and looking down at Trisha who was climbing up after the fox, growling, and hissing at the vulpine. The bunny occasionally trying to swipe her paws at the predator above her.

"Nick used her clothes to rescue us from the water," Judy chuckled as she looked up at the canine who let out a snort.

"Hey use what you can right?" Delta chuckled. "Brought you all lunch."

"Awesome! Thanks, Delta," Judy said as she skipped over to the green pickup truck with the painted dog, the two gathering the group's lunch and setting up while Trisha continued to try and get at a certain tree climbing fox.

A short while later they had managed to coax Trisha down with some food, Nick joining them a minute later when he felt it was safe.

Delta had brought out a large green army blanket and set it on the warm grass near the river so the gang could sit and enjoy their food.

"What? No Lynn's?" Trisha asked as she began to pull boxes out of a large brown paper bag. Each box was covered in a bright red and white logo from a certain soda company.

"That is clear across the region," Delta pointed out.

"So?" Trisha responded a playful smirk.

"Eat your carrots," Delta grumbled as he opened up his own box and took a sandwich in his paw.

As the group enjoyed their lunch Nick noticed a kind of pensive look had come over Judy. The bunny became lost in thought as she munched on some chips.

"Carrots?" Nick asked as he reached over and gave the doe's knee a slight nudge.

"Hmm? Oh sorry, just running over some ideas for the parks in my head," Judy said softly as she glanced back at her fox.

"It will be ok Carrots," Nick said as he rested a paw on the doe's leg and gently rubbed the gray fur that graced her body.

A brown paw reached out and began to rub the fur on Judy's thigh. Nick and Judy looking over at Trisha who had an amused smirk on her lips.

"Yeah, what he said," Trisha mumbled as she looked at Judy's leg and kept rubbing.

Both Nick and Judy looked at one another and couldn't help but silently chuckle at Trisha's antics.

Judy then looked over at Delta who had just taken a bite of sandwich. The canine froze as he looked down at Judy's leg which was now being rubbed by both Nick and Trisha. He then looked back at Judy and with a mouthful of food managed to say, "I'll rub your leg when I'm done eating."

This caused Judy to roll her eyes and let out a laugh, finally swatting both Nick and Trisha's paws from her fur.

"Wow," Nick let out in mild surprise as Delta produced a glass bottle from the brown paper bag, popping the red and white cap which made a familiar fizzing noise. "Haven't seen a soda bottle like that in ages."

"The sandwich place I went to has all this old memorabilia from a certain soda company, owners can't get enough of the stuff, they also sell the old school bottles," Delta explained as he passed the open bottle over to Nick before grabbing another from the bag.

Nick took a sip from the soda, Trisha watching him, "Don't do it don't do it don't-"

The fox let out a satisfied "Ah" when he was done taking a sip, mimicking the mammals folks used to see on commercials for the famous pop.

"Every time!" Trisha groaned as she threw up her arms. She then looked at Delta who took a sip of his own soda, and just like Nick, let out a satisfied noise when he was finished.

"Just like the old commercials right?" Delta asked as he nodded at Nick.

"This lunch sponsored by Pemberton Cola," Nick said as he held the bottle of soda in his paw for all to see.

"Be a good place for a commercial that's for sure," Delta added as he looked around the forest before his eyes fell on Trisha, "Bunch of bikini-clad bunnies to hook the teens."

"Say that again!" Judy shouted as she suddenly stood up.

Everyone on the blanket froze as they looked at the excited bunny.

"Was just saying for a commercial…forest…bikini…bunnies," Delta said nervously, worried he had insulted the doe.

"That's it!" Judy exclaimed as she hurried over to Delta.

To everyone's surprise, Judy put her paws on Delta's cheeks and pulled him close, giving him a kiss on the snout.

"That's how we save the forest," Judy said as she scrambled over to Nick, unlike Delta though, the fox got a kiss on the lips.

"Soda commercials?" Delta asked.

"No! It was so simple! I don't know why we didn't think of it before," Judy said as she hurried away from the blanket and towards her truck.

The gray doe suddenly froze when Trisha cleared her throat loudly. Judy's ears went up and she slowly turned to look back at Trisha who was simply staring straight ahead at the river. Judy quickly tiptoed back to the blanket and pressed her lips to the fur between Trisha's ears.

"Sorry," Judy whispered.

"Better be," Trisha said with a chuckle. "Giving these lousy canine's smooches and skipping your bunny."

"That's a capital offense right there," Delta said as he raised his bottle.

"For shame Carrots," Nick joined in as he gave his doe a wink.

Judy rolled her eyes and quickly excused herself, hurrying over to her bag and producing her cellphone.

"What was all that about?" Delta whispered as he leaned towards Nick.

"No idea but I think we are about to be in a soda commercial."

"Hehehe, bikini-clad buns," Trisha chuckled as she wiggled in place.

-Ranger training day 10-

Nick sat as patiently as he could in the living room of his and Judy's cabin. His emerald eyes glancing over at the clock on occasion before back to the window, then the door, and….was that a pair of mischievous looking bunny ears behind the curtain?

No, just his imagination….

The fox was on edge for several reasons. He had gotten a phone call from Skye in the morning that something had come up with training for the day and that Trisha wouldn't be able to make it into work.

Nick, however, knew better. He had seen just how chummy the arctic fox and a certain brown doe were and didn't put it past Trisha to recruit Skye for some kind of elaborate prank.

Over the course of his ranger training, Nick had been hit with so many water balloons that he began to have nightmares of him running down a grassy hill as an enormous water balloon lumbered after him. He would always just narrowly escape before a pinecone smacked him in the head or he tripped over something before being flattened by the monstrous water balloon.

It was because of this Nick would constantly check his surroundings. Even when he saw Judy off he kept one eye opened as he gave his bunny a tender kiss on the lips. Judy had taken notice and growled at him until she got a proper goodbye.

Trisha wasn't the only one who seemed to be up to something. Judy had been rather giddy with some kind of secret over the past few hours. Pry all he might Nick was unable to obtain any information about what was going on. Even after giving Judy one heck of a foot massage that had the doe melting in his paws, the fox had come up empty.

 _Lousy trouble making bunnies conspiring against me…_

A sudden loud knock on the cabin's front door brought Nick back to reality. The fox jumping from the couch and hurrying over. He had to remind himself, however, to take things cautiously in case Trisha was waiting for him on the other side of the door with some kind of surprise that would most likely soak the fox's fur.

When Nick opened the front door he was somewhat surprised to see who was waiting for him.

Skye and Jack stood on Nick's front porch. Skye in her ranger uniform while Jack was in what could best be described as business casual forest apparel. Even though he wasn't in a suit and tie the hare seemed to give off an authoritative presence.

"Listen I have already bought 2 boxes of shortbreads and a box of do-si-does from the last girl scout that came by," Nick said, unable to help himself even in front of his bosses.

"Shortbreads? Really Wilde?" Jack asked as he shook his head. "Everyone knows you go for the thin mints."

"Samoas are the superior cookie," Skye said firmly which caused Jack's ears to raise up.

"Really? You think those are better than thin mints?" The buck asked as he studied his second in command with slight contempt.

"We have been over this," Skye grumbled, not breaking eye contact with Nick. "I am not interested in a cookie that is the same flavor as my toothpaste."

"It is not the same flavor!" Jack shouted as he flailed his arms about. "Thin Mints are a refreshing chocolaty delight that-"

Skye cleared her throat, trying to return Jack back to the reason they were currently at Nick's front door.

"This isn't over Winters," Jack grumbled before clearing his throat and looking back at Nick who was now thoroughly amused with what he had just witnessed. "We came by to drop off some supplies for today's training."

Nick tilted his head slightly, "Oh really?"

"Yes," Skye began with a smirk. "Just because Ranger Rose is unable to meet you today for training doesn't mean you get to laze around eating cookies all day."

"Thin Mints," Jack muttered under his breath.

"Is Trisha ok?" Nick asked, now realizing that her absence wasn't just some elaborate ruse but that the bunny may be legitimately unable to train that day. He then realized what a somewhat rude host he was being and stepped aside. "Can I get you anything?"

"She is fine, something has just come up is all," Skye said as she hefted a hiking backpack from her shoulder and set it on the porch in front of Nick. "We aren't staying long but thanks for the offer."

"Since Trisha is unavailable we felt today would be a good day for you to get your 'out of region' training done."

"Sending me on a little vacation boss?" Nick asked as he raised a brow and leaned against the door frame.

"Not exactly," Skye said as she looked right into Nick's emerald eyes, her own blue ones filled with a pensive nature. "On occasion, you may be requested to leave the main valley and head out into the parks to assist with operations. We need to know you can survive on minimum rations for extended periods of time."

Nick's ears drooped suddenly at the phrase "extended periods of time."

"How long exactly?" Nick asked as he looked down at the hiking gear and then back at his superiors.

"That Nick is completely up to you," Jack said firmly. "Delta was about 5 days, Trisha 7, Chris was roughly 12."

"Jack was 2," Skye added.

"I had an emergency to get to!" The buck shot back at the vixen.

Skye gave Nick a wink but noticed the concern on the fox's face, "Everything alright Wilde?"

"When exactly am I supposed to leave the region?"

"Well you won't actually be leaving the region," Skye said in a comforting manner.

Skye took a few minutes giving Nick instructions on what he was expected to do.

As it turned out he didn't really have to go far. Apparently, he was expected to drive out to a lake not far from where they currently were. There was a closed off hiking trail he would have to use to get to the top of a mountain called The Captain that overlooked the lake. Once at the top he would have to make a small fire in a fire pit and keep it going for as long as he could.

Nick couldn't help but mention his experience was putting out fires.

"The top of this particular mountain is devoid of tree and brush. So you won't have to worry about that," Skye explained.

"Then what exactly do I use to keep the fire burning?" Nick asked, raising a brow.

"That's for you to figure out," Jack said quickly. "We will have rangers in the region to check on the fire, make sure it is still burning. You are to take your Ranger radio with you to contact us when you are out of supplies and ready to come back to base. You will be scored on how long you can stay up there, how long you kept the fire going, and how you handle various other….surprises."

"Why do I get the feeling one of those surprises involve a certain brown bunny and a pinecone?"

Nick was somewhat impressed with how collected his bosses were, neither of them showed any kind of response to the last comment.

"I suggest you leave before sundown," Skye said as she looked at the watch on her wrist. "You are expected to have the fire going tonight."

Nick reached down and hefted the hiking pack up and flung it over his shoulder.

"But don't leave too soon, your supplies are limited."

Nick took in a deep breath and nodded. He wasn't exactly thrilled about having this task thrown on him last minute but what could he do? If this was part of the training then he would just have to grit his teeth and bear it. It wouldn't be all bad though. He was already thinking of a plan on convincing Judy to join him. If the site wasn't far from the cabin maybe she could swing by and check in. Worse came to worse he would be able to keep in touch with her by using the walkie-

"Oh and that walkie-talkie you have with Judy," Skye began as she looked at the device currently clipped to Nick's belt. Nick looked down then back at his superior. "Leave it in the truck when you get there."

"And no late night visits," Jack added. "We will be having a ranger swing by and check in on Judy later to make sure she made it back to this cabin safe and sound."

Nick's ears fell back against the top of his head.

Not seeing Judy was one thing.

Now though he may go a whole week without even talking to her.

"Good luck," Skye said with a wink as she and Jack excused themselves and headed back towards their truck.

The rest of the day was actually a little dreary for the fox in the ranger uniform. He contacted Judy and tried to arrange lunch but sadly the doe was busy with some new project for the parks department. While somewhat saddened he wouldn't get to see her it wasn't all bad. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard Judy so excited. She was still keeping what was going on in her little head to herself but Nick had a feeling in time the doe would reveal her master plan. He advised her that he was supposed to leave his walkie behind which would mean he would be unavailable for who knew how long.

"Finally some peace and quiet," Judy teased over the radio. Nick was slightly taken aback at first but Judy continued her transmission, "Nick I have been preparing for this part of your training for a while now. Which is all the more reason for me to get this project of mine approved and underway, will keep me distracted. Besides I know you, Nick…. you're probably gonna be out of rations in a day or two."

"Oh really now? Just for that, I am aiming for two weeks!"

"Two weeks? Really? You are gonna smell so bad," Judy chuckled over the walkie.

"And when I finally descend from my mountain retreat you better be ready because I don't plan on bathing for a few days, keep my natural musk around for you to enjoy."

"Probably just gonna bunk with Trisha then, you can musk up the cabin all you want and I will return when you have showered," Judy teased.

Speaking of a certain brown bunny, Nick tried to reach out to Trisha a little later but sadly she was unavailable over the radio and she didn't answer her cell phone. This too concerned Nick. It was one thing to not make it in for training, but another thing completely to not answer his calls. He had to remind himself that even Trisha probably needed days off on occasion.

When it was time to head to head out Nick gathered his gear and loaded up into his truck and took one last look at his cabin.

"Two weeks," Nick grumbled. His stomach made a noise and he couldn't help but look down, "Oh come on! Don't you dare let Judy win!"

The drive was a rather peaceful one. Nick tuned into the local radio station as he weaved through the forest roads. He would occasionally check the GPS on his phone, grateful to have service, shoty though it may be.

The Captain, as it was called, was a large stone face mountain that sat on the edge of a crystal clear lake. The body of water was supplied by two smaller rivers, one of which was created by the Horsetail Falls which cascaded over the side of the mountain. Nick had heard about these falls on occasion. Apparently thanks to a natural phenomenon the waters would glow a bright orange during certain times of the year at sunset. He had neglected to check what the exact dates were but had a feeling he wouldn't get a chance to enjoy the view this time around. He would be stuck on top of the falls after all and would probably steer clear of the edge.

Nick managed to find the small dirt parking lot that sat at the edge of an abandoned trail. Several warning signs were in place advising mammals that the falls were closed off for the season and that no one should be utilizing the hiking trails at this time.

Fortunately for Nick, he had been told that as a Ranger these signs were more like guidelines and he was clear to use the path. He was slightly concerned however with several warnings on a large faded wooden sign. Apparently, the trail was considered somewhat difficult to traverse and while no gear was required it would be quiet the climb to the top.

"At least it isn't My Boss is trying to get me killed mountain," Nick chuckled to himself.

The fox reached into the pickup truck and held his walkie-talkie in paw, clicking down on the mic.

"So one last call before I got silent for two weeks," Nick said solemnly.

"Cya in two days Two Forks," Judy responded playfully. "Seriously though, I will miss you Nick and I promise to not let Trisha mammal nap me and run off to some distant beach."

"I mean if she did I get Delta all to myself," Nick shot back.

Judy's beautiful laughter filled the airwaves, reminding Nick of when he first started falling for the voice before he knew what Judy even was. Even after all this time and all the silly moments they had shared together the fox enjoyed hearing that laughter just as much as when he was stuck in the Two Forks Firewatch tower.

"I'll be back soon," Nick said with a smile.

"Pinecone."

With that, Nick put the walkie in his glovebox and locked up his truck. He took a moment to stretch his legs before grabbing his hiking pack. Once he was satisfied the pack was secured on his back the fox trudged up the dirt-covered path.

A kind of serene silence hung over the path. The only sound coming from Nick's paws as he made his way up the path. Occasionally stepping on a tree branch or causing some pebbles to slide down the side of the slope.

Nick was grateful Trisha had taken him out hiking several times before this. The fox having to use some of the knowledge he had picked up from the bubbly bunny to traverse the mountains worn down path. While most of the paths were maintained by the parks department on occasion Nick could tell this one had not seen attention in some time.

There were several parts of the path that just suddenly ended if it wasn't for Nick's keen eyesight he may never have picked up where to continue. On one occasional part of the path fell away underneath Nick's feet. It wasn't the most dangerous situation mind you, the slope down the mountain while steep would have just been a bit of a tumble, nothing life-threatening. At least that's What Nick told himself as he watched a stray pinecone bounce over and over again as it fell away from the fox.

After a short while, Nick got into a kind of groove with his climb. So much so that he let his mind wander to other topics.

 _Hope Trisha is ok._

 _What is Judy up to?_

 _Who doesn't like Thin Mints?!_

Subject after subject slowly drifted in and out of the fox's mind. There was one, in particular, that would always come back though.

Judy standing on the edge of the river, looking up at the sky, her beautiful fur out on full display for the fox to admire. One part of the doe in particular always stood out.

 _Am I ready? To pledge myself like that? Again?_

 _What if she says no?_

 _What if she says yes?!_

 _What if she leaves….?_

 _No! She isn't like HER. She is better than HER._

A war began to rage on in the foxes mind to the point it made him dizzy.

Nick decided at that point to focus more on the task at paw.

 _Ok, so just like Trisha said, assess._

 _When we get to the top of the mountain we will set up a rough camp and then assess what supplies we have. We gather some wood, maybe a little extra for fuel, then we get the fire going. How am I gonna keep it from going out?! I need sleep. Maybe if I use my phones alarm…..no that will run out too quickly. What if I sleep naked so I get really cold when the fire is out? Yeah, that will work! Naked for two weeks. Judy is gonna wish she had been here for that._

At first, Nick was rather proud of his all-natural solution. Until he realized just how crazy it was.

How in the world was he supposed to keep a fire going and stay up there for at least 8 days, because there was no way in hell he was about to let Trisha beat him. Oh no, he did not intend to come down that mountain to such a smug looking bunny.

It was at that point Nick realized something.

The sun was already setting.

"Shoot!" Nick said as he realized what was happening. He was close to the top now but thanks to his daydreaming he had slowed down.

The fox picked up the pace, setting out at a quick walk, which soon turned into a light sprint.

"Make camp, start a fire, 8 days," Nick began to grunt under his breath. "How am I going to do this?"

Nick scrambled over a large log and noticed a small path just to his right which followed a slight incline up the mountain, it looked maintained and somewhat safer than the one he was on. He then noticed how this path joined his up ahead.

"Why couldn't I use that one?!" Nick shouted to himself as he hurried down the path.

Once the paths connected Nick noticed how much more smooth the walk became. No more pathways leading to nowhere, no more rock slides, or stumps. No just smooth sailing.

 _Trisha probably told Skye not to make it easy on me. She told them to direct me up the harder path!_

Lucky for Nick he was almost to the top. He just had to turn a corner and he would most likely be at the summit.

"Take the hard path Nick," The fox began in an annoyed tone. "Trust us, Nick. I swear when I get down from here and see Trisha I am going to-"

Nick turned the corner and suddenly fell speechless.

There was already a fire.

It burned large and bright.

That wasn't the sight that took the fox's words away.

It was the fact that all the rangers were standing around the fire, waiting for him.

Nick took a moment to take it all in. At first, he was confused. Why would they all be up there? What about the challenge? He managed to put two and two together rather quickly though.

"Hi, guys…" Nick said as he raised a paw and gave everyone a hesitant smile.

The rangers all remained silent and simply stared at Nick. While some would find this intimidating Nick actually felt at ease when he noticed how they were all smiling at him.

"Bout time you got here," A voice to Nick's side said as a large paw gave his shoulder a squeeze.

Nick turned to see Chris just beside him.

"So…is this where I get thrown into the fire as a sacrifice to the Pinecone god?" Nick asked in a hushed tone.

"No son," Chris said with a chuckle. "That's next week."

Nick's ears fell back against his head before Nick continued.

"Tonight is when you become a ranger."

"What about the out of region training?"

"Oh, that? Yeah, we tell all the new recruits that. Mainly to see what they do. Some protest, others decide to leave, the ones who come here to meet the challenge. Those are the ones we want at our side, the ones we want in our family."

Nick blinked at the last part. He played it over in his mind several times to make sure he had heard Chris right.

 _Family?_

"Recruit Wilde!" Came a booming voice from across the fire. "Step forward."

Nick looked up to see Jack standing on a log on the other side of the large fire.

"That's you rook," Chris said as he gave Nick a nudge, causing the somewhat confused fox to step forward.

As Nick made his way around the fire he would occasionally get a pat on the shoulder or encouraging nod from the other rangers. With every step, Nick became more anxious than anything. He wasn't nervous though. No, he was excited.

Nick noticed a familiar pair of bright purple eyes on him when he finally reached the other side of the fire. Sitting on a log nearby was Judy. The doe's eyes were glistening in the firelight as tears rolled down her cheeks. Occasionally she would let out a sniffle as she stared at her handsome fox. He could tell these weren't tears of sorrow though, they were ones of joy.

Delta was standing next to the log next to Judy, the painted dog took notice of the doe's tears and quickly produced a handkerchief which he held towards Judy who happily took it without breaking eye contact with Nick, patting her tear stained cheeks quickly.

The painted ranger chuckled and looked back at Nick, giving him a playful shrug which caused Nick to smirk and nod at his fellow canine, giving him a kind of silent thank you for helping his emotional bunny.

Delta stopped in front of Jack so he was in between the buck and the fire. His back warming thanks to the flames.

"Had you going didn't we?" Jack said with a sly smile.

"That you did boss," Nick said as his lips curled into a smirk. He glanced over at Skye who stood next to Jack, the lovely vixen giving Nick a wink.

"You know your fellow rangers came up here and prepared this fire," Jack explained as he nodded to the fire just behind Nick. "This is a tradition that started with our founder. He wanted this challenge to have several meanings."

Nick glanced at the flames behind him, the urge to make a kind of joke was almost too much but he managed to hold his tongue, having a feeling this was one of those moments when it was best to let the other mammal do all the talking.

"It wasn't just about testing you Nick, to see if you would rise to the challenge which by the way you did splendidly," Jack continued. "It was to show you what awaited you when you reached the top."

"Fiery Foxy Sacrifice," One of the Rangers whispered which was met with a slight chuckle from the group. Skye, however, looked over at the offending Ranger, her sharp eyes penetrating right through the group, causing them all to fall silent.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle.

"You are warmed by the fire made by your fellow Rangers," Jack said proudly as he raised his arms towards the fire. "They took the time to come here and make sure you were taken care of because that's what we do. We look out for one another. Though Rangers are expected to work on their own you are never alone. You are one of us and we look after your own. Our founder wanted to make sure every Ranger understood that."

"Real poet that Teddy fellow," Chris said from across the fire.

"You would know, weren't you there?" Delta shot back.

"I am not that old!"

"Boys!" Skye barked which caused both the larger canines to fall silent and suddenly stand up straighter.

Jack rolled his eyes and looked at Nick, "We try every time to make this into a serious occasion but…well…you know how this lot can get."

Nick was grinning from ear to ear as he nodded.

 _This is my family._

"Normally there is a speech," Jen laughed nearby.

"Takes hours," A large bear leaning on a boulder added.

"Jack likes to hear himself speak don't he," A bobcat joined in.

"Oi!" Jack said as he eyed his Rangers, "I like to think I have a nice and commanding voice."

"Kinda grating boss."

"And smug."

"Smug?!" Jack asked as he lowered his arms as Skye put a paw to her face.

"Thin Mints are the superior cookie," Nick mumbled, mimicking his boss from earlier.

"Don't you start Wilde," Jack said as he pointed a digit at the mischievous tod.

Behind some of the larger Rangers, it sounded like someone cleared their throat which brought the argument to a sudden end.

Nick chanced a glance over at Judy who had managed to get control of her emotions. The doe had her legs crossed as she stared at her fox. Nick gave Judy a wink which caused the doe to give him a wink in return.

"Alright, where were we?" Jack asked as she looked over at Skye who seemed to have just given up on maintaining a professional atmosphere.

"Just give him his badge boss," Skye said as she gave the hare an exasperated look.

"I ain't giving him his badge."

"Don't tell me you forgot it in the truck!" Skye said as her eyes widened.

"Not that."

"Then give it to him."

"Can't," Jack said simply as he put his paws in his pockets and casually rolled back and forth on his large feet.

"Can't?" Skye asked, sounding somewhat annoyed. "Wilde has passed all our tests, he has stepped up, I know it's sooner than normal Jack but we don't have a choice we need to make him a Ranger. We don't have the time to drag out training like normal."

"I know."

"Then why CAN'T you give him his Ranger badge and status?"

"Don't have it."

"Who has it?" Skye asked in confusion.

"Ranger Rose!" Jack shouted as both an announcement and signal. He looked up towards several of the large Rangers by the fire. As one they all stepped aside to reveal something that made everyone fall silent.

As Trisha made her way from behind the rangers Nick noticed something about the doe, she wasn't in her normal green short and open-buttoned up shirt.

No this was a different uniform.

Nick recognized it as a variant of his dress uniform. To see it on Trisha though was a truly memorable sight.

While the doe loved to act all carefree and bubbly, it was obvious from the condition of her dress uniform how much she cared for this job.

The long sleeved green ranger jacket was fitted perfectly for her frame. It wasn't baggy or too tight. It had obviously been cared for and maintained. Her long green pants were neatly pressed and somehow the black wraps around her large feet even looked formal.

To top it all off she was not sporting her normal ball cap which would have a pine needle occasionally sticking out of it.

No today she was in her campaign hat. The parks logo engraved on a polished medal that sat perfectly centered on the beautiful bunny's hat.

Trisha made her way around the fire and stopped on Nick's side. A proud smirk gracing her lips as she looked ahead at Jack. She stood at attention and gave her boss a curt salute which made one or two of the rangers gasp in astonishment.

"Who is that? That can't be Trisha." Delta asked Judy in a low whisper, causing Judy to elbow the canine as she beamed at her friend.

Jack stood at attention and returned the salute. Both the rabbit's paws fell as one, a kind of rhythm in both their movements.

Nick could only guess how often they had practiced that movement.

Trisha turned to look at Nick. Her movements were just as crisp as her uniform which caused Nick to smirk. The bunny before him produced a wooden box she had been carrying under her left arm. She held it up with both paws towards Nick.

The fox studied the wooden box and noticed the familiar tree in a shield emblem had been carved into the smoothed wood.

"Left paw on the box right one raised," Jack said softly as he watched the two mammals before him.

It felt like the forest itself had fallen silent out of respect for this moment. Nick couldn't hear the crackling of the fire as it burned beside them.

Nick followed Jack's instructions and the group remained silent as they watched.

Several seconds went by which must have been odd as Trisha raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Jack who had a kind of proud smile on his lips.

"You know the words Ranger Rose," Jack said softly.

Trisha's eyes widened at first but quickly shut. The reason became clear as she opened them up and looked back at Nick, tears had begun to well up.

The meaning of all this was not lost on Nick or the others. Apparently, Jack was the one who was supposed to speak but he had done something for Trisha just now, she would be the one to swear Nick in.

"Ranger Wilde," Trisha began, her lips quivering as she held back tears of joy. When she glanced up at Nick and saw his confident grin she found her words once more. "You know the tasks before you will be challenging. You know you will have to protect, wander, and defend the forests you now call home. This is not a task just assigned to you though. For you are not alone. Which is why I don't ask you to make an oath to the forest. I ask you to make an oath to your fellow Rangers. Do you swear to be the mammal we all know you can be?"

Nick took in a deep breath. As he exhaled he nodded, "I swear it."

Trisha beamed up at her friend as she pulled the box from underneath Nick's paws. She then opened it up and revealed a glistening gold badge. The words Ranger seemed to shine brighter than anything.

"Then take your shield, we have work to do," Trisha said proudly as tears stained the fur on her cheeks.

Nick removed the badge from the box and rubbed his paw over the Ranger insignia. He looked down at Trisha in time to see the bunny toss the now empty box at Jack who almost dropped it. Trisha used her strong legs to propel herself at the fox, wrapping her arms around his neck as she rubbed her cheek against his.

"I am so proud of you Nick," Trisha cooed as Nick placed a paw on the doe's back, holding her close.

"Thank you, Trisha," Nick said, trying his best to not let his emotions get the best of him. "For everything."

"Pinecone," The doe whispered before gently kissing the fox on the cheek.

"Pinecone."

The two remained like that for a second or two. Nick wanting to take it all in. Trisha wasn't just his trainer, she wasn't just a Ranger, she was something that he couldn't even define. Which is why he didn't even bother to figure it out as he simply held the bunny in his arms.

When the two parted Trisha landed on the ground in front of Nick and looked up at the fox. Nick could tell how proud Trisha was, it showed in her brilliant blue eyes which still shimmered.

"Congrats Ranger Wilde," Jack said as he extended a paw out, bringing Nick back to reality.

Nick took Jack's paw in his own and gave it a firm shake. Skye was next. Then Chris, soon the fox was surrounded by his fellow Rangers who were giving him pats on the back and different words of congratulations.

"Alright alright! Make a hole!" Delta barked as he managed to move some of the Rangers aside. "If Judy doesn't get to her fox she may just explode."

Everyone chuckled as they cleared a path for Judy who scurried quickly over to her fox. Just like Trisha, she used her strong legs to launch herself at the vulpine. Unlike Trisha, however, she pressed her lips to Nick's as she wrapped her arms around him. Normally Nick would have liked to keep such affection private but he was so happy and wrapped up in the moment that he didn't care. He held Judy in a warm embrace as their kiss continued. Several of the Rangers making comments or cheering noises.

When their lips finally parted Judy let the tears roll down freely across her fur, "Nick I am so proud of you. You did it. I just…you-"

Nick simply pressed his lips to Judy's once more before pulling back, "So no more Two Forks?"

"Ranger Two Forks has a nice ring to it though," Judy giggled as she wiggled her nose at Nick. The fox rolled his eyes as he held the doe, "Oh wait! What about The Foxy Ranger?"

"Ok har har.."

"Ranger slip and fall," Judy continued.

As the fox and bunny couple continued with their antics and were congratulated by the other Rangers two mammals watched from the side.

Trisha had taken Judy's spot on the large wooden log, crossing her legs as she looked at Nick and Judy. Delta put a paw on his bunny's shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Proud of you darlin," Delta said softly.

"Proud of him," Trisha added.

"Couldn't help but notice that wasn't the normal Ranger's oath," Delta smirked as he looked down at the doe. "It was nice though."

"It was for him," Trisha said as she put a paw on the painted one resting on her shoulder. "I wanted him to know how much he meant to all of us."

"Two weeks of training though," Delta said with a sigh. "Is he ready?"

"Wouldn't have given him his shield if he wasn't," Trisha said with a chuckle. "He has potential. Heck, he could potentially be the best Ranger we have."

"Better than me?"

Trisha chuckled but decided not to answer and protect the painted dog's ego.

"Better than even you?" Delta asked as he gave the bunny's shoulder a squeeze.

"Better than all of us," Trisha said with a happy sigh.

"And why is that?"

"Because the reason he is doing all this."

"Which is?"

Trisha smiled as she watched Judy nuzzle her head into Nick's chin. The fox holding the gray bunny close, "Love."

Trisha and Delta sat in silence for a moment before Delta made a gagging noise, "Oh my gosh Love? Really? What the heck was that?"

"I don't know! Oh gosh did I really just say that? Ick! Think its all the emotional junk."

"Too much fresh air," Delta added.

"That is the worse isn't it?" Trisha asked as she hopped off the log and brushed off her pants. She then looked at her painted dog with a mischievous smile, "Come on. We need to go tell him about the Ranger graduation tradition."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Delta said with a smirk. "This is gonna be good."

With that, the two Rangers went and joined the others in congratulating the new Ranger Wilde.

* * *

 **Hey there Firewatchers.**

 **It's been a while.**

 **So he did it! Ranger Nick Wilde! Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?**

 **Thank you all for your patience over the past couple of weeks. With the holidays and some personal stuff going on I was a bit delayed in getting any work done. I hope to have more silly chapters for you all soon. We got some fun new friends to meet in the next chapter and Nick learns about a certain tradition for the Rangers.**

 **Till next time!**

 **Pinecone.**


	13. Traditions

-Traditions-

Nick was still in a rather pleased state of mind as he drove his pickup truck through the darkened roads surrounded by large shadows he knew to be the trees. He would occasionally glance down at Judy who was pressed against his side, the doe having latched onto him as soon as they loaded into the truck and had yet to let go.

Judy glanced up at Nick, a tear rolling down her cheek as she beamed at her fox.

"So proud of you Nick," Judy said softly as she nuzzled into Nick's side.

The truck hit a dip in the road and bounced slightly, causing a curse to come from the open window that led to the back of the pickup truck's bed.

"Geeze you just hitting every pothole there Wilde?"

Nick chuckled as he glanced out the window at Delta who was sitting with his back to the truck's cab, the painted ranger giving Nick a toothy grin.

"Sorry bout that, we lose Trisha?" Nick asked with a smirk.

"Takes a lot more bouncing to knock this bun out of a moving vehicle," Trisha said as she popped her head into the window. She glanced down at Judy who looked right up and smirked at the mischievous brown bunny. "Well hi there."

"Hey Trish," Judy said as she wiggled her nose. "Have I thanked you for all this?"

"You might have but I am more than happy to accept more thanks," Trisha said as she clambered into the pickup truck's cab, landing on top of Judy with a muffled thump. Seconds later Judy was giggling as she was wrapped up in a hug by her fellow doe.

"Oh gosh get a room," Nick grumbled playfully.

"Don't tempt me, Wilde," Trisha teased as she stuck out her tongue before returning to the hug Judy was happily giving her.

Nick smirked as he glanced at the does then back at the road. He let out a chuckle then shook his head as he tried to process everything that had happened today.

He was done with training. He was now a Ranger thanks to Trisha. The bunny had really stepped up and helped out the fox which was something Nick wasn't exactly used to.

Sure Judy would have moved the mountains themselves to help him out, but for Trisha to have stepped up like this really showed Nick that he was not only just some mammal to her and the other Rangers. He was part of their rather odd family.

"Turn is coming up ahead," Delta instructed from the back as he glanced over his shoulder. The painted dog then returned to looking up at the stars the glistened overhead as the truck weaved down the dirt road.

"You sure you don't want to sit up here?" Nick asked as he looked back at his friend currently sitting in the truck bed.

"Naw I'm good," Delta said with the smirk, "Besides it smells like stinky bunny in there."

Two sets of bunny ears suddenly shot up as the girls caught the words coming from outside the truck.

"Stinky bunny?!" Trisha barked as she suddenly stood up and gave her painted mate a look. "Oh, you are asking for it."

Trisha clambered back out of the truck's cab and into the truck's back bed. There was a sudden yelp and Nick stifled a laugh, knowing that Delta was probably regretting his words at that moment.

"Ah, no biting!" Delta shouted from the back.

Trisha's head popped back into the truck's cab, "Take us to Fairfax, driver." The bunny then looked down at Judy, "You know where we are going right?"

"The Barn?"

"Good girl," Trisha said as she leaned down and gave the tip of one of Judy's ears a gentle peck. She then popped back to the back where Delta let out a surprised grunt followed by some maniacal laughter from a certain bunny ranger.

"The Barn? So we are finally hitting up the Barn?" Nick chuckled as Judy wiggled back to her spot and rested her head against Nick's side.

The Barn was the name of a certain establishment in Fairfax that Nick had yet to visit. From what he could tell it was a local watering hole. While he had been interested in visiting it before now, Judy had insisted they wait for the right time. Apparently the night Nick became a ranger was the right night.

Some of the other rangers would be meeting them there. The rest of them had to get back to work patrolling the region.

Nick was looking forward to actually spending some time with his new friends. He had learned long ago it was one thing to work with a mammal, it was another thing to share a drink with them.

Had this been back in the city of Zootopia he may have been somewhat reserved at the thought, or maybe try and find an excuse to get out of it. Now though the fox was actually somewhat eager to spend the night with everyone, especially if it meant getting Judy a little tipsy. The bunny would get extra giggly whenever she had a few drinks. Her laughter was like a sweet song to Nick so he was always looking for find ways to make her laugh.

The drive was a rather interesting one. Trisha occasionally poking her head back into the truck's cab to either annoy Nick or shower Judy with some kind of affection.

Nick had grown used to this relationship they all shared. He actually enjoyed it. Trisha was quick to shoot a joke at Nick who used his own wits to reflect anything the doe had. On occasion, he would even have Trisha and Delta laughing at the bunny's expense.

When they made it into Fairfax Nick followed Judy's direction. As they weaved through the quiet streets he noticed how they were heading back out of town. A few buildings were sprinkled here and there, the only other sign of civilization was a series of train tracks that ran alongside the road.

"Just follow the tracks at this point," Judy instructed excitedly.

They turned a corner and Nick suddenly realized why the spot they were heading to was called The Barn.

Nick had expected it to be some kind of old abandoned farm of some type. What he found instead was an old train barn. The large building sitting in the middle of an open field, the train tracks leading right up to a turntable of sorts that sat outside of the dark red building.

Several cars were parked in a dirt lot on the side of the tracks just before the Barn. Nick found a vacant spot with ease and parked his rusted pickup truck.

Once parked Delta and Trisha scrambled out of the back while Nick and Judy exited the cab.

"Welcome to the Barn Ranger Wilde," Delta said as he trotted up to the amused looking fox and put an arm around the tod's shoulder. "Be on your best behavior now."

"I like to think-" Nick began but was interrupted by Delta who waved a paw.

"Wasn't talking to you partner," The painted dog stated as he looked down at the two bunnies before them.

Trisha simply smirked and wiggled her rear while Judy blushed and kicked some of the dirt beneath her feet.

"That was just one time," Judy mumbled.

"And what a time it was!" Trisha exclaimed as she hurried to her friend and wrapped an arm around the embarrassed looking Judy.

"Oh stories, I like stories," Nick said with a grin.

"I like making new stories," Trisha said simply as she lopped an arm through Judy's and lead the bunny away towards the Barn.

The two does began to whisper between one another, occasionally giggling as they glanced back at their canines.

"And just like that I guess you're my date tonight," Nick mumbled which caused Delta to roar with laughter.

Nick and Delta hurried after the girls. When they reached the does they stepped on either side of the giggling bunnies. Trisha looked up at her painted dog and before he could react leaped upward. Trisha's strong legs managed to propel her so she could latch onto Delta's shoulders. She scrambled around so she was hanging over Delta's back, her small arms wrapped around his neck as she nuzzled into him.

Judy took a less energetic approach to be close to her own date. She gently scooped up Nick's paws into her own and gave them a squeeze. With every step, she walked a little closer to Nick until she was rubbing against him as they made their way down the dirt path.

As they approached the bar Nick took a moment to take it all in.

The Barn had been an old train roundhouse before it had been turned into a bar. The building had an almost circular design as it wrapped around what was called a train turntable. While some train barns depended on a series of tracks that would steadily link up to the main line, a turntable would have one main track that fed to the main line. The trains would drive onto the turntable when it was time for them to be stored. The enormous mechanism would then slowly spin around till it found an available bay in the roundhouse to store the train either for maintenance or for when it was not in use.

A single train engine sat on the turntable. A series of lanterns along the path illuminating the old iron workhorse.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Judy said as they strolled by.

"She is an old 2-6-0 Mogul," Trisha explained as they walked right alongside the beautiful looking machine, the path had ended right at the edge of the turntable.

The train was a dark green, her wheels a red with white trim. She had a slender stack that reminded Nick of trains he would see in old western movies.

"She have a name?" Nick asked as he studied the train, noticing how well polished and clean she was, this train had obviously not been used for its intended purpose for some time.

"The Lily Belle," Delta said proudly as they passed the cab. "Echo came across her rusting away when she bought the place. She hired a team to clean it up and make her look like new."

"I remember when they finished it," Trisha giggled. "Think Walt would have simply driven her away had Echo not gotten into the cab in time to shut things down."

"Oh gosh Walt," Judy said with a sigh. "I miss him."

Nick raised an eyebrow and looked down at Judy who glanced up, her purple eyes seemed to shimmer with a tear of an old memory.

"An old friend," She said simply. "He is gone now, but we all have fond memories."

"Let's make some more memories tonight!" Trisha said excitedly as they reached the other side of the roundtable which led them to the center of the roundhouse, the center bay doors were wide open as voices and music echoed out into the night.

When they reached the large bay doors Nick had a chance to survey his surroundings and was rather impressed with what he found. He had been to a themed bar or two back at Zootopia. This place, however, was in a league of its own.

The owner of The Barn had really taken the train theme to heart but managed to avoid that tacky feel one would get when a decorator went overboard.

A few railroad crossing signs were on the walls here and there. The occasional train company sign was hanging from the rafters. Nick noticed a Union Pacific shield, a Carolwood Pacific, and even a Taggart Transcontinental sign hanging over their heads.

The fox let out a low whistle.

"I love the signs, reminds me of simpler times," Judy said as she squeezed Nick's arm, the couple wading through the tables scattered around.

The bar was situated as such that most of the tables were scattered in the center of the large atrium-like seating area. Normally a roundhouse would be packed with train parts, locomotives, or cars in need of repairs. The Barn, however, was rather open. An old flatbed train car sat at one end of the bar, a series of lights focused on it. Nick was reminded a bit of a stage as he glanced over. He could only guess that they had entertainment some nights, the talent setting up on the car as a makeshift stage.

On the other end of the Barn sat an old water tanker car. A bulbous black tank was affixed on top of a series of wheels that still sat on a set of tracks. Normally a tanker car would be used to haul fuel, water, or some large amount of liquid.

This one seemed to be modified to be the main bar. A series of shelves having been installed right into the steel of the tanker. Several taps sat along the car as well and Nick could only guess the kegs themselves sat inside the tanker.

The gang managed to find a spot where several tables sat empty, the plan being that when the other rangers arrived they could all sit in the same area since there wasn't a table large enough to fit them all right now.

Nick looked around and noticed the various mammals in the bar. Some he recognized as a few of the locals. He even noticed the fainting sheep from the sandwich shop. The ewe was dressed up and laughing at the comments a female black tail jackal was making. The two friends obviously enjoying a night out.

There were mammals of all various shapes and sizes spread around the bar. Most of them laughing and enjoying a night out with one another.

To Nick's surprise, the girls picked a hightop table. The stools were nearly double the bunnies size but it didn't seem to deter them at all. Trisha managed to hop right up on to her stool with ease. Judy took a more subtle climbing route.

Nick being the gentlemammal that he was helped Judy by pushing her stool closer to the table.

"Allow me Carrots," The fox whispered playfully causing the doe to blush as she was helped. Nick sat down right next to Judy who right one cue leaned over and rested her head against the fox's arm. The bunny had been like this the whole night, and Nick loved every second of it.

He enjoyed the feeling of Judy's touch, even it was just a simple head against the arm, there was something about her that just made everything in the world feel right.

"Well, I see Em is on Bar detail," Delta mumbled as he leaned over and glanced towards the bar.

Nick looked over towards the tanker and noticed a lovely looking otter in a makeshift conductors outfit standing on the actual bartop as she carried drinks.

"No sign of Echo," Delta grumbled.

"Come here often?" Nick asked as he raised a brow towards the painted ranger.

"Oh yeah," Delta said with a toothy grin.

"Trisha driving you to the drink?"

Delta snorted as Trisha slowly turned her head so she was looking right at the fox, an almost daring look in her eyes. As if to warn Nick to choose his next words wisely.

"His sister Echo owns the bar," Judy said with a chuckle, managing to defuse the situation before it even started.

"Oh, no…." Delta groaned.

Trisha looked in the direction her painted mate had been looking and her ears suddenly shot up, a mischevious grin on her lips, "Oh yes."

Nick raised a brow and slowly looked in the direction of the others gaze. What he found was quite the sight.

The perfect specimen of a panther was casually sauntering over towards their table. The felines black fur was on display and seemed to glisten in the low lighting of the bar. The predators naturally slender physic wasn't the only thing that caught Nick's attention. Her apparel was something that would probably have most mammals drooling if they stared too long.

Keeping with the bar's theme the panther was adorned in what could best be described as a revealing engineers outfit. A pair of overalls had been cut into short shorts, revealing the panther's strong legs. While normally one would wear a jean shirt she had gone with a large white and red checkered bandana that had been fashioned into a kind of tube top, the black fur on her sides and shoulders on display for all to enjoy. One of the straps to the overalls was connected by a button at the front, the other one was flailing lazily on her side, causing the overall's front to fall away.

 _Geeze, she would probably give Chris a heart attack in that._

"Mmmm, looking good Beth," Trisha said, her eyes going up and down the feline's figure as she approached.

"All for my favorite Ranger," The panther said in a low tone as she walked right up to Trisha and leaned down, pressing her muzzle against Trisha's cheek, her lips lingering for a moment. Delta cleared his throat as he stared daggers at Beth who chuckled, only pulling an inch away from Trisha's fur and whispering just loud enough for everyone to hear, "See you brought the bodyguard."

"Tried to shake him so we could have some time together but wouldn't you know he managed to follow me here," Trisha giggled, glancing over her shoulder at Delta while sticking out her tongue.

"Beth has had a thing for Trisha for a while," Judy whispered into Nick's ear.

"Can't see why," Nick teased which earned him a slap on the arm.

"Aww come on now Delta," Beth cooed as she stood up and walked over to the painted dog. The panther was easily a head taller than Delta but that didn't seem to intimidate the painted mammal who sat up straighter and gave Beth a look. "Not even a nibble?"

"Going to toss you in a lake," Delta grumbled as Beth leaned down and rubbed her chin against the top of the painted dog's head, right between his circular ears.

"Skinny dipping would be nice before it gets too cold," Trisha teased.

"Oh I like that idea," Beth joined in, resting her head on top of Delta's as if it were perfectly normal.

"Not what I meant," Delta said, but cracked a smile none the less as he wrapped an arm around Beth's waist. "How ya been Beth?"

Beth smiled as she wrapped an arm around Delta's shoulder and leaned against the painted dog.

Nick suddenly realized he had been holding his breath as he watched the scene play out. He had been worried that a fight was about to go down over Trisha.

 _Of all the things to fight over…_

Nick glanced down at Judy who had been watching the scene play out as well.

 _Well, I would fight for Judy...so I guess it makes sense._

After Delta and Beth exchanged pleasantries the panther looked up, her eyes going wide at the sight of Judy.

"Oh, my gosh, where in the world have you been stranger?" Beth asked as she removed her arm from Delta's shoulder and her paw from the top of his head, she had been casually flicking at the painted dog's ears for fun as they chatted.

Judy's smile seemed to brighten up the whole room as she stood up on her barstool and opened her arms. Beth hurried over and wrapped the bunny up in a friendly embrace.

"Last time I saw you was just before the summer fire season," Beth exclaimed. She then took a step back and gently pushed Judy's shoulder. "Why didn't you call me when you got back?! I was worried sick over the June fire. It was right in your region, wasn't it? I was watching the news here constantly fearing the worse."

"Sorry Beth," Judy said bashfully as she rubbed her arm, "Things just got busy and I kinda lost track of time."

"You better be sorry," Beth said as she pulled Judy into another hug. "Was worried sick, had to get my info from the painted party pooper."

"I do not like that nickname," Delta groaned.

"I do," Trisha said with a giggle. "Because it has the word pooper."

Beth finally released Judy, her brilliant yellow eyes slowly falling on Nick.

"I like to think I know all our rangers," Beth said as she looked Nick up and down. "So you must be new."

"Yup," Trisha said as she puffed out her chest, "Our newest recruit, just finished training him."

"Wait a second," Beth said as she snapped her digits together, her gaze going to Judy and then Nick. "Is this him?"

Judy nodded, a slight blush going up her ears.

Beth's smirk turned into a smug grin as she looked Nick up and down again before winking over at Judy who suddenly hid her head in her paws.

"So does tall, red, and handsome have a name?"

"Lately everyone has just been calling me Judy's plaything," Nick said as he held out his paw to Beth, "But friends call me Nick."

Beth and Trisha snorted at Nick's comment. Delta, however, had his arms crossed.

"I am not a party pooper," The painted dog mumbled under his breath.

Beth took Nick's paw in her own larger one and gave him a squeeze, "Well it's a pleasure Nick. You be sure to take care of Judy."

"Oh I have been," Nick said with a smirk.

"Bet you have," Beth said with a suggestive tone.

"I don't think I have ever seen her blush this much," Trisha giggled as she looked over at Judy who refused to look at anyone in the eye at that point.

After poking fun at Judy's expense Beth took everyone's drink orders. Delta warned the panther that the rest of the rangers would be joining them shortly. The bartender didn't seem deterred by this though, in fact, her smile grew larger at the thought of seeing more of her friends.

Once Beth left with everyone's orders Nick couldn't help but glance over at Trisha, a knowing grin on his muzzle.

"So Beth seems nice," The fox said as he glanced at Trisha who seemed to blush slightly.

The brown bunny began to open her mouth but it was quickly covered by a painted paw.

"No comment," Delta said simply.

Judy let out a snort at the canine's antics before looking at her bubbly brown friend.

"He still hasn't gotten over what happened when you first moved here?"

"Oh this is going to be good," Nick said as he settled in for a story.

"No comment!" Delta shouted, keeping his paw over Trisha's mouth.

"Let's just say that when Trisha first moved here and came to the bar to wait for Delta, Beth was very attentive-" Judy tried to explain but Trisha reached over and put a paw over Judy's mouth before glancing up at Delta.

"No comment," Came a muffled voice from under Delta's paw.

The gang shared a laugh as they settled in.

Beth returned a minute or two later with the first round of orders. Nick took a sip from his beer then glanced over at Trisha whose drink was packed full of bright red cherries.

"A little something extra for my ranger," Beth said for everyone at the table to hear. The panther began to lean down and nuzzle her head against Trisha's ears before her bright yellow eyes widened.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Delta holding her tail. Normally this would have gotten a mammal slapped across the muzzle. Delta, however, didn't seem to care as he lifted Beth's slender black tail up for the feline to see.

"I will start tying this to a table," The painted dog threatened.

Beth simply stuck out her tongue and sauntered away, throwing a little extra sway into her hips as she left.

It wasn't long after that the rest of the rangers arrived. Skye joined Nick and Judy's table while the other rangers took the surrounding tables. Most of them scooted their bar stools closer so they could all chat and catch up.

"And what took you all so long?" Trisha asked.

"Well, we-" Skye began before being interrupted by Trisha.

"It's because Nick is here isn't it," The doe suggested as she munched on one of her cherries and swayed back in her seat.

Nick glanced over at Trisha and noticed how the bunny had trouble sitting up straight. The fox leaned down towards Judy.

"Is she drunk already?" The Nick asked in surprise. Sure the bunny had a now empty glass in front of her, but still.

"Moonshine does that to her," Judy said simply as she sipped at her own purple colored drink.

"Wait moonshine?" Nick asked somewhat flabbergasted. "Isn't that?"

"Don't worry Two Forks," Judy chuckled as she leaned against her fox. "It's not the made in the bathtub kind. There is a distillery down the road. They make it there, it's all legal out here."

"That's Ranger Two Forks thank you very much," Nick began as he prodded at Judy's side, causing the bunny to squirm and let out a laugh.

"No, it's not because Ranger Wilde is here," Skye said simply.

"Ranger Wilde?" Nick asked as he looked over at Skye with a questioning gaze. "Really? Think at the bar we can go by first names Snowball."

"Quit telling everyone to call me that!" Skye shouted, looking right at Trisha who let out a laugh.

"Aww come on now," Delta said as he raised his beer and nodded towards their leader, "Its far less formal than Boss."

"And its a lot better than painted pooper," Trisha pointed out.

"That's painted party pooper!" Delta nearly shouted as he set his beer down and waved his paws about.

Nick chuckled as he glanced between the painted dog and bunny. Something caught his eye however and he couldn't help but focus on what appeared to be a porcupine a few tables away. The prickly mammal was doing her best to slowly slink between the tables, her eyes on the table of Rangers. Nick and the porcupine's eyes met and she quickly put a paw to her mouth, signaling for the fox to remain silent.

The fox simply raised his beer to his lips and took a swig, signaling he wasn't going to say anything just yet. He eyed the mammal and tried to figure out who she was. The porcupine was wearing a light blue button up shirt with an odd logo on the breast, a small blue circle with a red slash through it. Her pants were a dark navy blue. She must have just gotten off of work, the question was where was work?

"As I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted," Skye continued.

"Yeah Delta," Trisha said as she raised her mason jar filled with moonshine to her lips, taking a sip, "So rude."

"Oh hush up you blue-eyed terror," Delta grumbled.

A large moose strolled by the porcupine, causing the smaller mammal to stop in her footsteps less she quilled the moose by accident. Once the larger creature had passed though the sneaky quilled mammal continued to tiptoe towards them, her purple eyes focused on Trisha.

"We were delayed by someone," Skye continued.

"Flo?" Judy asked as she looked over at Skye.

"No, it was-"

"The sheriff?" Trisha asked as she plucked another cherry from her glass and munched on the sweet treat.

The porcupine was just a table's length away now

"Will you let me finish?" Skye barked.

An antelope tried to squeeze between the porcupine and a nearby chair, only to stop and let out a yelp as he was prodded by one of the many quills on the porcupine's back.

"Oh my gosh!," The smaller mammal blurted out as she tried to turn, only to have another two quills stick into the antelope. "Oh no! Oh geeze."

Trisha's ears went up and her bright blue eyes widened as she recognized the voice. The brown bunny slowly stood up and wobbled in her seat.

"Uh oh," The porcupine said as she turned to Trisha.

"Trust fall!" The bunny shouted as she flew backward.

The porcupine suddenly darted forward and stood just beneath Trisha, opening her arms. The brown bunny fell towards the quilled covered mammal only to be wrapped up in a pair of soft arms.

It was a small miracle that the drunken doe hadn't gotten poked or prodded at all. It was all thanks to the porcupine's efforts mind you, had they not been so quick there was no doubt that Trisha would have had a few quills in her like the annoyed looking antelope who was currently limping away.

"Good to see you pin cushion," Trisha said as her eyes fluttered closed.

"I have a name you know," The porcupine said with a smirk.

"Yes you do pin cushion," Trisha cooed. "But right now you are doing the cushion part really well."

The porcupine rolled her eyes and let out a chuckle, her gaze going up to Delta.

"Delta," She said with a nod.

"Alice how ya been?"

"Bored out of my mind at the darn station," The porcupine began as she slowly let go of Trisha who scrambled back up onto her chair. Delta reached over and managed to grab a barstool from the table next to their own. He pulled it over and patted the bottom, signaling for Alice to join their table.

Alice smiled and scrambled up onto the stool, careful not to scoot to close to Delta or Trisha, lest they find a quill sticking into their side. The porcupine looked around the table until her gaze fell on the mason jar of cherries before Trisha. She reached behind her and pulled a quill from her back and used it to skewer one of the tasty treats. Before Trisha could say anything Alice popped the cherry in her mouth with a satisfied smirk.

"Hey," Trisha grumbled as Alice chewed on the cherry. "That's mine."

Alice rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, sticking out her tongue where a red mush sat, the cherry having been chewed up already.

Trisha stared at the mush for a second and then shook her head, "Nevermind."

"That's what I thought," Alice said with a chuckle. "Using me as a cushion ain't free."

The porcupine looked around the table, her eyes meeting Skye's who smiled.

"So now you see why I was held up," Skye said simply.

"I didn't rob you," Alice said taken aback.

"That's not what I meant," Skye shot back.

"I totally think that's what she meant," Delta said as he took a swig from his beer.

"Right?" Alice asked as she looked up at the painted dog, "Geeze some mammals are so prejudiced against others."

"That's not what I-" Skye began but let out a defeated sigh. "Where the hell is Beth I need a drink."

"I like teasing her," Alice whispered to Delta who nodded.

"Oh, its been especially easy lately," Delta chuckled.

Alice smirked and continued to scan the table. When her eyes met Nick he noticed how she gave him a wink, as if to say thank you for his silence.

"So who is the new one?"

"Judy's plaything," Trisha giggled before looking over at Alice. She then pulled one of the quills from the porcupines back and used it to skewer a moonshine-soaked cherry from her drink. Alice didn't seem to pay any mind at all which told Nick this was a common occurrence.

Trisha sure likes to find different uses for mammals.

Nick wasn't really phased by the nickname, Judy however…

"Will you quit introducing him like that?" The doe giggled.

"So he isn't your plaything?" Alice asked.

"Well, I mean…" Judy trailed off and a dreamy look came over the small gray bunny.

"Getting a little cozy in those Firewatch towers I see," Alice said with a playful wink.

"I know I like to," Trisha giggled.

"You could get cozy on a rock," Alice shot back as she looked over at the bunny, noticing Trisha's new cherry utensil. She poked the bunny with one of her digits and then held up the quill still in her own paw. Trisha snorted and took the quill, puncturing another cherry with it and passing it back to Alice.

Trisha had a rather evil grin on her lips as she looked over at Delta who refused to make eye contact.

"She knows about last week," Trisha whispered.

"Well now everyone does!" Delta shouted which caused the table to burst into laughter.

"Great so now I have to worry about what rocks I sit on," Nick pointed out. "First my bed at Two Forks and now rocks…"

Alice let out a snort but then tilted her head, "Wait. Bed at Two Forks? That a Ranger station now because if it is then my maps are out of date...again."

"Nick used to be a Firewatcher," Judy explained as she patted Nick on the arm.

"From Firewatcher to Ranger," Alice said with an impressed nod. "Someone is moving up in the world."

"Judy finally took the supervisor job too," Trisha pointed out as she wiggled in her seat, scooting dangerously close to Alice who took notice and tried to move away, only to poke Delta which caused the painted dog to spit out some of his drink and quickly move away.

"Oh geeze sorry Delt," Alice said with a wince.

"Yeah sorry, sweetie," The bunny said casually as she plucked another cherry from the glass.

"Just poke her next time will ya," Delta said to Alice.

"But then I lose the game," Alice said with a weak smile. She then looked back at Judy with a happy smirk. "Ok so first off, Judy congrats and about time because let's face it, girl, you should be running this place by now."

Judy blushed and shook her head, but was grateful for the compliment.

"Second...are you actually her plaything?" Alice asked, her beautiful gaze going to Nick.

"I prefer boyfriend but plaything is fine too," Nick said before receiving a slap on the arm from Judy.

Alice did an odd shake as she looked at Judy and then back at Nick.

"Oh my gosh I thought you two were just teasing," Alice exclaimed.

"Nope," Delta joined in. "She really did lower her standards that much."

Nick let out a laugh as he looked over at the painted dog who gave him a grin.

Alice looked up at Delta and then used the quill in her paw to poke at his arm. Unfortunately for Delta, he had been taking a sip of beer at this point, which was quickly spilled over the front of his shirt.

"Shush adorableness is happening," Alice said as she looked back at the fox and bunny couple. "So?"

"So what?" Judy asked as she raised her drink to her lips and took a sip.

Alice scoffed and rolled her eyes, "So spill it? I haven't seen you in ages and you show up with tall, foxy, and handsome. I want a story."

"Oh geeze," Delta groaned.

"I'm about to poke and prod you again," Alice teased, glancing at the painted dog from the corner of her eye.

"Hehehe, I already did earlier," Trisha chuckled under her breath.

"There really isn't much to tell," Nick began.

All eyes went to the fox, including Judy's who had a bit of a hurt look.

"I fell in love with the beautiful bun next door," Nick said with a sly smile as he glanced down at the bunny on his side. "The rest is history."

Both Alice and Trisha let out a series of "awwws" as they watched a rather embarrassed Judy gaze into her mate's green eyes.

"Was that before or after Delta shot you?" Skye asked from her end of the table.

"You shot him?!" Alice barked as she turned her head and glared at the painted ranger.

"Yeah what gives Delta?!" Trisha slurred as she swayed in her seat, one of her limp ears coming dangerously close to the porcupine.

"Oi! You were there remember?" Delta pointed out to the brown bunny who stuck her tongue out. "And in my defense, he was charging at me with a rock."

"So you shot him?" Alice repeated.

"He had a rock."

"Gun beats rock," Chris pointed out from his seat at the table next to them.

"What beats gun?" Nick joined in.

"Pinecone," Trisha and Judy said as one. The pair of bunnies eyes went wide as they beamed at one another.

"I always walk into the more interesting part of things don't I?" Beth chuckled, the feline having returned to take the new arrivals orders. "Alice good to see you. You're regular?"

"No thanks Beth," The porcupine said with a smile as she turned to the jet black panther. "I wouldn't mind a chocolate shot though."

"Something sweet for someone sweet," Beth said as she scrunched her nose.

"Wouldn't say I'm sweet," Alice said with a chuckle. She then froze and one of her eyelids twitched. She looked over at Trisha who had taken a moment to grab Alice's arm in order to run her tongue across the porcupine's fur. "That wasn't an invitation to your weirdness."

After taking everyone's orders Beth hurried off to get the group's drinks. With the feline gone the group's attention went back to Nick and Judy.

"So?" Alice said simply as her ears wiggled.

"So?" Nick shot back.

"Tell us a story Wilde," Trisha said as she plopped another moonshine coated cherry into her mouth.

"Yeah tell us a story," Alice said with a renewed energy as she scooted closer to the table and put her chin in her own paws.

Nick was about to protest when he felt a small paw on his arm. Looking down at the pair of beautiful purple eyes gazing up at the fox told Nick he didn't have much say in this matter. With a deep sigh, Nick began to spin a tale as they waited for their drinks.

"You remember how it started?" Nick asked as his muzzle curled into a sly smirk.

"Um...hello?" Judy asked, her ears raised up slightly.

Nick turned to Trisha and Alice and smiled, "Goooooood evening Two Forks. About time you showed up."

Judy put a paw to her forehead and chuckled, "Was I really that bad?"

"No," Nick said as he ran a paw down Judy's ears. "You were far worse."

This earned a snort from Trisha and a chuckle from Lucy, both the females seemed eager to hear more. Delta meanwhile began a conversation with Skye as the other rangers chatted amongst themselves.

"So two hadn't met before the season started?" Alice asked as Trisha handed the porcupine another quill with a cherry at the end.

"Nope," Judy said simply. "I had been dropped off a few days earlier. Normally the supervisors arrive a little while before the other towers to make sure everything is set in the main towers."

"So when did you two finally meet?"

"About halfway into the summer season," Judy began as she brushed one of her large ears aside. Nick could tell his bunny was a little embarrassed about all this, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

"What can I say," The tod began as he rubbed his knuckles on his shirt.

Before he could finish a coaster smacked him on the nose, causing him to shake his head. He looked over at the culprit. Trisha looked over her shoulder and then back at Nick, shrugging innocently.

Oh yeah, you're as innocent as they come you pinecone tossing pain in the-

"Wait, so did 'this'," Alice began as she pointed between Nick and Judy. "Start after the summer season?"

Judy looked up at Nick, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Oh my gosh," Alice squeaked. "So you two, over the radio…?"

"Fell for her before I even laid eyes on her," Nick admitted as he lost himself staring into Judy's watering eyes.

"Remember when we met?" Judy asked softly as she swirled a paw around the rim of her drink.

"How could I forget?" Nick asked as his eyelids drooped. He put a paw under Judy's chin and moved it so she was looking right up at him. "Are you all talk?"

The two leaned close and shared a tender kiss, their eyes fluttering closed as they embraced.

The noise that came from Alice could only be described as a squeak mixed with a giggle, with just a dash of a snort thrown in. Whatever it could be called it was high pitched and adorably obnoxious.

Nick glanced over at Alice who was covering her mouth, an embarrassed look in her eyes.

"What was that?" Judy asked with a laugh.

"Sounded like a hiccup mixed with a squeak," Trisha mumbled as she looked over at her prickly friend.

"Oh come on!" Alice exclaimed. "That was so freaking adorable."

"My ears are ringing and I wasn't even here when it happened," Beth said playfully. The panther having returned with fresh drink orders.

Nick let out a chuckle when Beth placed a small shot glass in front of Alice. Inside were several brightly colored chocolates.

"Oh chocolate shot," Trisha said excitedly as she tried to paw at the glass.

"So besides breaking the sound barrier and providing a certain blue-eyed monster with a place to curl up," Nick began as he took a swig from his own beverage. "What do you do around these parts Alice?"

"I work at the weather monitoring station just on the other side of town," Alice began as she popped a chocolate into her mouth.

"Sounds…" Nick tried to look for the best word as not to offend the new arrival.

"Boring?" Delta suggested

"Dull?" Skye added.

"Can't all have awesome jobs like us?" Trisha mumbled before winking at Alice.

"First off," Alice began as she looked around the table. "Who asked all of you. Secondly, don't you all just wander the woods and help out campers?"

"Oh burn!" Chris chimed in from the other table.

"She just burned you too old timer," Delta pointed out.

"I am retiring so I don't count," Chris shot back.

"Thirdly," Alice managed to get everyone's attention once more. "For your information, we are looking at some major weather changes coming up. I was tracking a new cell forming just to the east of us. Looks like it could...very well…be..."

Alice trailed off and looked over at her shoulder where a certain brown bunny had rested her head and began to let out a series of snores.

"I am going to turn you into a pincushion," Alice mumbled.

"No you wouldn't," Trisha giggled.

Alice suddenly stood up straighter in her seat and began to shake, causing her quills to make an odd noise as they swished back and forth.

"Ah ok! Yes, you would! Yes, you would!" Trisha shouted as she suddenly scooted away. Alice smirked at the bunny, knowing she had not only just proven her point, but found a way to keep Trisha in check.

"As I was saying," Alice said as she sat back in a slightly more comfortable manner. "I have been monitoring a new cell that could be forming into something very interesting. There are a series of cumulus congetus showing off various forms of intensities that could give off a long term conventive precipitation."

Nick looked around the table and was pleased to see that the looks from the other rangers showed they were equally confused as to what the lovely porcupine in the Nasa shirt had just said.

Alice rolled her eyes, "Rain….lots of rain."

"How much is lots?" Judy asked curiously.

Nick couldn't help but notice a slight concern in the doe's voice

Judy was a very outdoor oriented mammal. So a little bit of rain shouldn't have concerned her. Nick began to wonder if this had something to do with a certain project she had been keeping under wraps lately. His own focus on surviving Trisha's training and becoming a ranger had pushed a lot of other things from his mind lately.

"We could be looking at an extended stay," Alice suggested as she popped another chocolate into her mouth. "I have sent a report to the main office. Since most of the camps and what not have been shut down I don't think we need to worry too much. I mean there will probably be some flooding and a few mudslides but with a majority of the regions already cleared it shouldn't affect park operations."

A pensive look came over Judy who began to mumble to herself.

"You ok Carrots?" Nick asked as he put a paw on the back of the bunny's back.

Judy, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped back into reality and beamed back up at Nick.

"Of course Two Forks," The doe cooed as she leaned against Nick once more.

"That's Ranger Two Forks thank you very much."

After chatting with Alice a little more about her work at the weather station in Fairfax Nick learned a bit more about this unique quilled covered mammal.

Alice Ride had originally worked for NASA down at the cape for a bit. While she still worked for the agency it was now in a different capacity, the porcupine having followed one of her passions which was meteorology.

Nick was impressed at this little bit of knowledge. Realizing the mammal currently popping chocolate in her mouth might be one of the smartest mammals he had ever met.

And Trisha is using her for a toothpick supply.

Eventually, Alice excused herself. She leaned over towards Trisha who happily leaned against her friend. Their cheeks squished together and Nick was impressed that the bunny didn't get poked. Apparently, they had practiced this particular farewell.

"Come round and see us sometime," Alice said as she smiled at Nick. "Can give you the dime tour."

"Sounds fun?" Nick said with a weak smile.

"No sounds boring," Delta managed to say, quickly scooting away from Alice who looked like she was ready to use her own natural defense mechanism as an offensive one.

"Stay out of trouble," Alice said to Trisha who just grinned in a not so innocent fashion.

"That sounds like no fun at all," The doe said as she rolled on the balls of her large feet.

"Well stay out of big trouble at least," Alice said as she scrunched her nose.

With that Alice excused herself.

It didn't take long for everyone's glasses to become low on contents. Beth, however, was a very attentive server. On her next return to the table, Nick noticed that the panther's serving tray was stocked full of empty whiskey glasses. The feline sauntered around the tables. Placing one of the glasses in front of each ranger before taking their drink order as well. Even Nick got a whiskey glass placed in front of him.

The fox raised the glass and inspected it. He glanced over at Delta with a questioning look but only got a smirk from his painted friend.

The night carried on with a kind of excited energy. Everyone was still congratulating the fox on becoming a ranger. Some of them were still surprised he survived the training. Before Nick could say he was hurt by such comments the Rangers would nod over at Trisha who was currently tossing cherry stems at Delta. Nick realized it wasn't so much the fact he survived the training to be a ranger. It was he survived Trisha's training.

It didn't take long for the group to finish their first round of drinks. Beth though made sure that none of their glasses remained empty for long. Especially Trisha's who was now on her third mason jar of what Nick could swear was actually paint thinner and not the strong moonshine Judy had originally suggested.

"So how many more rounds before you all start?" Beth asked as she put a paw on her hip, her tail slowly wrapping around Trisha's leg before being slapped away by Delta's paw. The panther giggled and slowly walked away, flicking one of the painted dog's circular ears as she left.

"Start what?" Nick asked as he glanced around his fellow rangers.

"Oh is it a tradition night?" Chris asked as he looked over at Skye.

"Well a certain someone did graduate and its only fair he is shown some of the traditions," Delta suggested as a certain brown goofball tossed another cherry stem at his muzzle.

"Someone needs to start the tradition and show Nick how it's done though," Skye said with a smirk as she raised a beer bottle to her lips.

"Vote!" Trisha suddenly shouted as she stood up on her barstool. Several of the Rangers reached down for the bottle caps they had just accumulated and tossed them at the empty whiskey glasses Beth had left in front of each Ranger.

Almost all of them landed in Skye's empty glass, the arctic vixen glaring at the glass and then at her Rangers.

"I am not going to be first," Skye let out in annoyance.

"Don't forget to do the dance," Trisha said excitedly as her tail twitched.

Skye gave the doe a pleading look, "Oh come on guys….I haven't done this in for-"

"A year," Delta pointed out, "So you shouldn't be very rusty."

"Come on now Boss," Nick said as he gave the vixen a smirk. "Lead by example right? I need to know what exactly I am getting into."

Skye rolled her eyes before closing them, letting out a sigh. She reached down and placed her paws on the table and pushed her seat out. The Rangers at the table and surrounding tables let out a cheer for their leader.

"I am going to kill Jack for skipping out on this," Skye grumbled as she strolled past Nick.

"More like he is going to regret missing this," Trisha said as she reached for her cellphone.

Skye moved with lighting reflexes and put a paw on Trisha's wrist, "Film it and I will shave you."

Trisha slowly raised her paws but Nick could tell from the smile on the does lips this threat didn't mean too much to her.

Skye wandered over to the bar and leaned over, catching a lovely painted dog's attention. The two exchanged pleasantries before the painted female suddenly jumped up with excitement. She nodded quickly and hurried away.

"Looks like Echo is game," Delta chuckled. Nick glanced over at the painted dog by the bar, the female was in a more modest version of Beth's outfit. Though she still didn't mind showing off some of her own midriff, a series of large painted spots covering her body.

Judy let out a happy giggle as she wiggled in Nick's lap, "I like Skye's part of the Barn tradition."

"So are you part of this tradition at all?" Nick asked as he squeezed the small doe wrapped up in his arms.

"Buy a girl enough drinks and maybe I can show you a thing or two," Judy said as she leaned up and kissed the bottom of Nick's muzzle.

Skye and Echo ascended the stairs to the empty flatcar that sat at the edge of the room. A series of applause and catcalls greeted the pair of ladies who strolled up on stage. Echo was holding a microphone which she raised to her mouth, a pleased grin on her lips.

"Alright ya'll, so it looks like the Rangers of the Parks Department have decided to provide us with some entertainment tonight," Echo waited for a second as the bar erupted with applause. "For those of you who don't know they used to have this tradition of singing around campfires and the likes. Well over time they realized they needed to practice their songs and wouldn't ya know it a discount on their rather large bar tabs seemed to be enough to convince them to start singing here."

Nick's eyes went wide as he suddenly realized what was happening.

"So let's sit back and enjoy some Ranger karaoke!" Echo said which was met with more applause.

The painted dog happily pawed over the wireless microphone to Skye who gave the crowd a smirk. As the bar owner stepped down from the stage the vixen held the microphone up.

"Beth do me a favor," Skye began as her blue eyes met the panther's behind the bar. "A113 for the track, and make sure the songbook makes it over to the new fox, because if I am stuck up here singing for these degenerates," The vixen paused for a moment as several mammals laughed while others whistled at the lovely vixen, "I fully expect him to be singing in a bit."

Judy must have noticed how Nick tensed up and smiled at her fox, "Can't wait to see what kind of show you put on."

"Since when did I join a band?!"

"Helps with public speaking," Trisha teased as she glanced over at Nick.

"I don't see you having to go up there," Nick shot back.

"C17," Trisha said with a smile.

Nick tilted his head slightly.

"That's my song's code, we all have favorites we like singing."

"D23," Delta joined in as he raised a bottle.

"A70," Chris said as he made his way past Nick, "But I am retired so you can have that one if ya want."

Nick let out a groan but it was drowned out by the speakers around the bar which started playing a familiar guitar solo. Nick recognized the old western tune by Nancy Sinatra rather quickly as he watched the vixen up on the stage.

"No way…" Nick mumbled.

"As I said, I like Skye's tradition," Judy giggled.

"Do the dance!" Trisha shouted over the music.

Skye must have heard the doe because she looked at the ceiling and let out a sigh. She turned around and kept one paw flat while putting her toes down for the other. With one paw on her hip, the predator began to sway to the old tune in ways that caused a few jaws to hit the floor.

Right on cue Skye turned around and began to sing.

" _You keep saying you got something for me."_ Skye began as she strutted down the stage until she was standing right at the edge. " _Something you call love but confess."_

" _You've been messing where you shouldn't have been messing,"_ Skye continued as she slowly sauntered across the stage, each of her steps exaggerated just like the videos of old.

Several canines in the audience let out howls at the vixen who didn't even miss a beat.

Nick had to admit he was rather impressed with Skye who not only sung beautifully but had the dance moves down pat.

" _These paws were made for walking, that's just what they'll do,"_ Skye strutted back to the center of the stage, her timing was perfect as she turned her back to the crowd and looked over her shoulder. " _One of these days these paws are gonna walk all over you."_

The guitar solo picked up over the speakers once more, only to be joined by a tambourine.

"Watch this part," Judy said with excitement.

When the trumpets joined in Skye broke out in dance just like the music video from many years ago.

Nick remembered watching the video as a young pup and now to see Skye mimicking the moves perfectly, it was no wonder how Skye had the crowd going wild.

"That's right! Shake that tail!" Trisha shouted as she stood up on the table, her tail flicking with excitement.

"Can't wait to see what you pick foxy," Beth whispered into Nick's ear as she placed a large worn binder in front of the fox. "It's in alphabetical order by song title if you already know the song you want to choose."

"And how long has this tradition been going on for?" Nick asked hesitantly as Judy sat up and began to flip through the binder, in search of a song for Nick to sing.

"Long enough for you to get in a lot of trouble if you don't join in," Beth teased before putting a paw on the fox's shoulder. "Everyone is going to be pretty drunk though so don't worry, they won't remember tomorrow."

"Thanks, Beth," Nick grumbled as he joined Judy in checking out the book.

When Skye had finished her little routine she returned to the rangers and was greeted as a hero. Most of them applauded and the vixen got a few pats on the back. When she took her seat at the main table Nick looked up from the book of songs and smirked.

Skye was panting but had a pleased grin on her lips as she ran a paw through her fur.

"Forgot how much fun that could be," The snow-colored predator said as her chest rose up and down, her lungs filling with air.

"Right? it's always so much-" Trisha began but fell silent as the glass in front of her was suddenly filled with bottle caps.

The doe's eyelids drooped and she looked at her glass and then at the other rangers.

"Go have fun," Skye said as she raised her glass and took a sip.

Trisha stood up in her seat and wobbled, glancing over at her painted ranger.

"Whatcha think? My normal?" The bunny had to hold on to Delta's shoulders as she stood on her chair, the moonshine in her system making her a little wobbly.

"I think in honor of Nick you should do the big one," The painted dog chuckled.

"Baww but the other one is fun," Trisha giggled.

"Yeah until you drag me onto the stage," Judy added which caused Nick's ears to raise up.

Judy took note and leaned against her fox, "Guess we have to retire the old song now that I have Two Forks here."

"Baw," Trisha chuckled as she snapped her digits. "I am sure I can convince him to share you for my musical number."

"Oh no," Nick said with a sly grin. "I wanna see this big number of yours."

Trisha groaned and looked at the ceiling before looking back at the fox, "Only because it's your night Nick."

The doe hoped from her seat and straightened her uniform. Before arriving at the Barn she had changed quickly in the truck so she was back in her normal green short shorts and gray top that seemed to have an extra button undone tonight. She took a moment to slick back her ears before glancing back at Nick and Judy.

"Next time though Judy is joining me for _Bunny Girl."_

Nick's eyes widened and he looked down at his bunny, "You two sang _Bunny Girl_ together?"

" _I'm a bunny girl, in this crazy world,"_ Judy began to sing a familiar tune from an old pop song. " _Lifes fantastic, I'm ecstatic."_

Nick groaned and closed his eyes, "Next time I'm keeping my mouth shut."

"Why?" Judy asked in a huff.

"Because that would have been amazing to see," Nick exclaimed as he waved his arms about, disappointed he wouldn't see Judy skipping around on stage singing a cheesy tune.

As Judy and Nick chatted over Judy's song choice Trisha made her way to the stage. Several mammals began to cheer as the doe scrambled up the front of the stage. She had trouble at first, her rear going up in the air as her tail twitched. Nick watched as an older buck nearby grabbed his chest in surprise.

 _Bunnies._

Trisha retrieved the microphone Skye had been using on the stage and took a second to straighten her outfit out before clearing her throat.

"C71 Beth," Trisha said as she gave a wink to the barmaid across the bar.

It took a few seconds before the music began. Nick raised his ears up as he tried to figure out the beat. Several mammals around the bar began to cheer as Trisha struck a pose, a paw on her hip as she looked at her fellow rangers.

Nick was somewhat confused as he tried to figure out the beat. It was a mix of western and pop. A steady beat building up.

That's when it hit him.

"Is this _Country Roads_?" He asked as he leaned down towards Judy.

The bunny stood up and began to clap her paws to the beat.

"It's Trisha's version of it," The bunny said as she looked at her fox and gave him a wink.

" _Almost heaven,"_ Trisha began. Unlike the traditional song, this version was far more upbeat. Trisha seemed to be especially bubbly as the music continued.

" _Western Fairfax, Bear ridge mountain, smiling does and rivers,"_ Trisha looked right at Judy and gave the bunny a wink, causing Judy to giggle.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle as well, the fox listening and enjoying Trisha's version to the old song.

" _Life is old here, older than the trees,"_ Trisha skipped across the stage, stopping just in time to give a little flick of the ears, " _Younger than the old dog who wheezes in the breeze."_

It was at this point several rangers cheered and gave Chris a pat on the back. The old wolf laughing as he tapped his feet to the tune.

" _Country roads, take me home, to the place, I belong,"_ Trisha skipped back to the center of the stage. The energy of the room was just as vibrant and bubbly as she was at this point, the mammals in the bar clapping along as they watched the adorable doe move about. " _Lamplight tower, sit for hours, take me home country roads._ "

Nick made a mental note to ask Judy about the Lamplight tower, especially since the doe blushed at the mention of it. The way she smiled told the fox that the doe was enjoying a pleasant memory of some kind.

 _Must be a story there._

Nick's thoughts, however, went back to Trisha as the doe continued her little performance on the stage. The fox suddenly realized Trisha's song was about all of them; The rangers.

As the show continued Trisha managed to spin a tail through the song of her joys living here in Fairfax. Nick watched as the bunny happily sang her song and began to wonder what stories he would create.

Glancing down at Judy he smiled as he reached down and gently took one of her small paws into his own. The doe didn't look away from the stage but scooted closer to the fox as she watched her friend put on a show.

Nick didn't mind that Judy's attention wasn't on him. Even when she was looking elsewhere he could just feel the warmth and happiness the doe gave off. At one point Judy rubbed her chin against Nick's arm. Whether it was to scratch an itch or just to be affectionate the motion caught Nick's attention.

 _Just do it already. She obviously cares for us. Show her you care for her. Make her yours so all will know_

These thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Trisha sang the next verse of her song.

" _Met this fox once, name of Wilde."_ Nick froze and looked up at Trisha, a smug smirk on his muzzle. " _Super cheesy but he makes my Judy smile. Now a ranger Nick, so proud it's true. Just keep on laughing because the next song is all you ."_

Nick's ears fell behind his head as he looked up at the doe currently winking at him from the stage. There was a sudden roar of laughter from the tables around Nick as all the rangers raised their glasses to the suggestion.

Much to the fox's dismay Skye leaned over and poured all the bottle caps into Nick's glass and gave the fox a smirk.

Knowing he was next to have to embarrass himself on stage the vulpine opened up the songbook once more and feverishly flipped through the pages.

" _Country Roads, take me home-"_ Trisha continued, this time the rest of the bar joining in.

Page after page and still nothing. Sure Nick knew a bunch of the songs, most of them were classics after all, but none of them stuck out as a song he was willing to sing in front of a bunch of drunken mammals.

Nick glanced over his shoulder and eyed the exit. With everyone so boozed up he may have a chance. Would just have to toss Judy over his shoulder and they could be gone before anyone noticed, especially since Trisha had all eyes on her.

Nick looked over at Judy as he continued to turn the pages of the book. He would occasionally glance at the book to make it look like he was still searching for a tune to sing.

That's when he saw it.

 _This has to be a mistake. Why would they have this song in here?_

Nick let a confident smirk slowly cross his muzzle.

He had found the song, it was perfect. Surely it was just a mistake. A song like this shouldn't be available for drunken karaoke but Nick just jotted it up to some kind of bulk song purchase.

Nick looked up from the book just in time to see Trisha finish her song.

He couldn't help but smile as he watched the doe stop just at the edge of the stage, the spirits in her system and the attention from all the others giving her quite a bit of confidence.

" _Take me hooooooooooooooooome, country roads!_ "

With that Trisha finished her rendition of the old country tune and took a bow.

The barn burst into applause. Several mammals standing up from their seats only to drunkenly sway before falling back in their chairs.

Delta gave Trisha a whistle which caught the doe's attention. The bunny looking over at her painted ranger and giving him a wink.

"Looks like your up Two Forks," Judy chuckled as she gazed up at Nick.

The doe's words were said just loud enough for the other rangers to hear. They all began to egg the fox on. Much to their surprise Nick casually stood up from his seat. They thought he would need more prompting but apparently, he was ready.

The fox leaned over and gently gave Judy's shoulder a squeeze, the doe leaning into her fox's touch.

Nick had thought he would have been nervous. However, he treated this just like another hustle. Keeping a calm demeanor with a dash of confidence was key.

The tod slowly weaved through the sea of tables and up to the steps of the makeshift stage where an excited Trisha was waiting for him.

"Knock 'em dead Wilde," Trisha said as she swayed where she stood, holding the mic up so Nick could take it.

"Gonna be a tough act to follow," Nick said with a wink.

"Yeah but lots of folks like following me," Trisha slurred out. "Because of the tail."

Nick stifled a laugh as he watched Trisha saunter away, the bunny throwing a little extra sway in her step, making her rear move in a way that would make most mammal's pant.

Trisha returned to their small group of tables and was greeted like a returning champion. Receiving pats on the back, whistles, and a hug from Judy. Nick watched as the two does scrambled up and shared a seat, both pairs of brilliant colored eyes settling on him.

"Beth," Nick said into the microphone as he looked over at the bar. The panther behind the counter looked up from the conversation she had been having with a lovely painted dog Nick recognized as Copper who had just arrived. "T58 please."

The gorgeous panther behind the bar gave Nick a salute before skipping over to a small computer panel where she typed the request in. The feline let out a loud laugh and looked back at Nick who stood on the stage. The fox sent a playful wink to the panther who couldn't help but smirk.

The song began with a rather familiar and rhythmic tempo. A guitar played from the speakers followed by a series of claps.

A few patrons caught on early what the fox had done but sat in disbelief. Others sat in confused anticipation, wondering what song the fox had chosen.

"Oh, my gosh… " Trisha said as her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in an open mouth grin.

"He didn't," Judy let out with a guffaw as she closed her eyes.

"He is my hero," Delta snorted as he took a swig of beer.

A saxophone joined the guitar in the song but Nick remained standing on the stage, tapping one of his paws to the beat and snapping his digits, the microphone remaining close to his chest.

It went on like that for almost a minute. Nick standing in the center of the stage with all eyes on him as the same upbeat music emanated from the speakers. A few mammals look at one another wondering if the fox had frozen up. Nick, however, looked right at home. A smug and confident smirk gracing his muzzle.

The saxophone and guitar suddenly stopped and that is when Nick raised the microphone to his muzzle and finally spoke up.

" _Tequila"_

The sax and guitar began once again and Nick lowered the mic back to his chest as he began to tap his paw once more.

Skye nearly spat out her drink, the artic vixen having been studying Nick during the song, wondering what her newest ranger had been up to.

"He picked a song with just one word?" The vixen asked as she tried to brush some of the drink from her shirt.

Trisha nearly fell out of her seat but managed to grab onto Judy who was laughing so hard tears rolled down her cheeks.

"In fairness, I think he has to say it like two more times," Chris said as he started to clap his paws to the beat.

Everyone had to agree that of all the songs Nick could have picked he had chosen the one that best represented him.

It was upbeat, classy, and at the same time rather amusing to watch someone sing it.

The song continued for another 30 seconds when the same tempo began again. When the instruments fell silent Nick held the mic up once more.

" _Tequila"_

A series of cheers and laughs echoed throughout the Barn as the patrons cheered the fox on.

"Such a great singing voice," Delta teased from their table.

"Hope he doesn't forget a line," Trisha joined in.

"Sush you to, I wanna hear Nick sing," Judy said as she playfully slapped Trisha on the arm.

The end of the song approached rather quickly. As the soundtrack faded Nick held the microphone up one more time. He wasn't alone however for the last part.

The instruments went silent and as one everyone in the bar finished the song with Nick.

" _Tequila!"_

One would have thought Nick had just finished some amazing stunt the way he was greeted when he returned to the rangers table.

He got pats on the back, a squeeze on the shoulder, even a hug from Jen. Skye was beaming as she raised a glass towards her fellow fox.

Nick couldn't help but take a bow as he weaved through the celebrating rangers.

When he finally reached his table he noticed how Trisha as laughing uncontrollably, giving Nick a proud smile. Delta had a rather bemused look on his face.

All of them however just faded away as Nick's eyes fell on Judy. His bunny was beaming up at him, slowly climbing up on her seat. She didn't remain there for long mind you. Using her strong legs she propelled herself right at Nick, her arms open.

"That is now my favorite song," The doe slurred out happily as she buried her head into Nick's chest and breathed in.

"That's now my favorite drink," One of the rangers chimed in.

"Yeah way to go Ranger."

"Well I sang from the heart," Nick teased as he wrapped Judy up in a warm hug.

To say that was the highlight of Nick's night would be an understatement.

As the drinks continued to flow and the night carried on Nick had a chance to enjoy a more casual atmosphere with his fellow rangers.

He would occasionally fall silent and listen in on some of the stories shared around the group. Sometimes he would add in his own little joke or two. For the most part, though he simply enjoyed sitting at the table, a certain gray furred mammal resting happily on his lap.

While Nick and Judy tried to act a little more professional whenever they were with other members of the Parks department, tonight was an exception.

Maybe it was the spirits mixed in their system, or maybe it was the celebratory high they were both experiencing from Nick's ceremony. Whatever the reason no one really paid much attention to the fox and bunny couple who were happy feeling one another's touch.

At one point they managed to sneak away from their table. Trisha and Nick's eyes locked and the fox froze, worried that the doe may speak up. Trisha, however, gave Nick a wink before opening her mouth.

"I ever tell you all where I got that book Teddy wrote?" The doe asked, her words sounding a bit slurred.

All the other mammals in their rowdy group fell silent, their eyes instantly going to Trisha who had a rather smug smirk on her lips.

Nick was grateful for the distraction but was also tempted to stay and listen to the bunny's story. In the end, though Judy managed to tear Nick away from the others and lead the amused looking fox through the bar.

Judy had a little bit of trouble at first, it was obvious the bunny had already had one too many drinks. The way she clumsily waddled around hightop tables was rather amusing to Nick who for the most part just had a slight buzz.

"Where too?"

"Surprise," Judy mumbled before letting out a giggle.

"I swear if you are leading me to another rock slide I have to climb down," Nick began.

"Well the last one didn't get the job done," Judy shot back, her tail twitching slightly.

Judy led Nick to the far side of the bar where a wooden door sat, an old worn sign nailed to it read: Rooftop Access.

 _Oh my gosh, she may actually try and shove me off the bar!_

"Don't worry I am not going to throw you off the roof or something," Judy said with a smirk.

 _Oh my gosh, she may actually have mind reading powers!_

Judy stuck her tongue out at Nick which made the fox slightly uneasy. In his drunken state, he actually began to wonder if his mate could read his mind.

The small bunny reached up and pushed the door open, the hinges creaking as the door swung to the side. The stairwell was actually illuminated rather well. A series of old train lanterns hanging on the walls made it so even in their inebriated state the pair could easily navigate the stairs.

Once they reached the top Judy opened another door and Nick was met by the cool fresh air that poured into the somewhat stuffy stairwell.

The fox closed his eyes for a moment and drank in all the different scents that suddenly flowed to his nostrils. He could smell the trees of the forest that sat on the other end of the field the bar was situated in. He could smell the grass as the wind swept through it.

Most importantly though he could smell Judy. Her sweet scent lingering on all the other smells that filled the fox's senses.

This evening had been one of Nick's most memorable that was for sure, but if he had to pick his favorite moment. Well, this was surely one of them. It was just so fitting that even with all the different smells that swirled in the air the one that always seemed to stand out was Judy.

She was after all the reason he was even still in the forest. If he hadn't met her….

The thought soon grew in Nick's mind.

What if he hadn't met Judy?

What if he had never answered her call on the radio?

Or if they had never spoken to one another the way they had?

Where would he be?

He would surely not be a ranger. He would have probably ended his season as a firewatcher and simply returned to Zootopia.

Would he really have left all this though?

When Nick opened his eyes all the questions that had been forming in his mind instantly vanished. The reason was clear.

Judy was standing just in front of Nick. The small bunny looking right up into the brilliantly illuminated sky.

"Did you get sights like this back in the City?" Judy asked as she studied the night's sky.

"No," Nick said as his lips curled into a smile, his gaze never leaving the beautiful bunny before him.

"You aren't even looking up are you?" Judy said knowingly. She glanced over her shoulder at Nick and even in the low light of the night, he could tell she was blushing.

"Sorry, but all the stars in the sky aren't nearly as beautiful as-" Nick began before Judy let out a drunken snort. Nick took a moment and simply chuckled "Ok yeah, that was probably going to be super cheesy."

Judy held out her paw and wiggled it slightly, signaling for Nick to follow her. "It's ok, I like cheesy."

The two strolled paw in paw towards a series of old couches that someone had left on the roof. Nick could tell they had been there for some time but they had somehow managed to brave the elements.

Judy led Nick to one of the couches, climbing up onto the weather-worn material. Nick didn't even hesitate and joined the bunny who immediately curled up in Nick's arms.

The way the bunny burrowed her head into Nick made the wrap his arms around the small bunny and hold her close.

Nick looked up at the sky and was mesmerized but the vivid colors and all the stars he would have never seen had he stayed in Zootopia. Sure it wasn't nearly as nice as Two Forks tower. There was however a big difference.

That difference mumbled something as she continued to snuggle up to her fox.

Nick raised an ear and looked down at Judy as the bunny continued to mumble something.

He realized that she was singing.

"... _my dear I'll be there soon…"_

Nick instantly recognized the tune. It was their song. Or at least the first song Judy had ever sung to him over the radio.

To hear it now though. To be holding Judy as she serenaded Nick with the song that had calmed him so long ago.

He couldn't help but bury his muzzle between Judy's ears, planting the softest of kisses on her fur.

As the bunny continued to mumble her sweet tune Nick looked back to the heavens. The stars continuing to twinkle in a kind of cosmic dance.

In the distance, however, the sky was dark. As if the stars were blocked out by some unknown force.

Nick studied the region of the sky before it was suddenly illuminated by a series of flashes. Though the lighting didn't strike the ground it was still a truly magnificent display of how powerful nature was. It was also a warning of the storm that was coming to Fairfax.

* * *

 **Hey there Rangers.**

 **It's been a while. Sorry for the long hiatus but been busy at work. Lots of things changing. Also, this chapter had some behind the scenes issues.**

 **In the true tradition of a Disney movie, I had to put in a musical number or two. Whatcha think? I had so much fun writing Country Roads in a more Trisha style.**

 **Special thanks to my dear friend _Lucywings_ for the use of her OC Beth who was a rather interesting write that's for sure. Her flirtatious manner can rival even Trisha's and she sure knows how to make hearts beat faster. **

**Alice Ride is a last minute addition to the story. She is an OC I had to put together for the scene to replace another character. She is based off a friend.**

 **Fun announcement time! Along with an update to my holiday special _Greetings from Manta Bay,_ I plan to release a new story focused around the 10-7 bar and its history. This one will be different from _Barkeeps_ as it will focus on how the bar was founded. Hope you all take a chance and give it a read when it is posted. **

**Hope the next chapter doesn't take nearly as long to post.**

 **Till next time.**

 **Pinecone!**


	14. Caboose

-Caboose-

"Just feels weird ya know," Nick grumbled as he and Judy made their way up a pebble-strewn path that led to a large cabin that sat nestled on a hill.

"Oh come on Nick," the fox's bubbly date said as she gave the vulpine's paw a squeeze. "You didn't force any of this."

Nick let out a sigh as he looked ahead at a lone cabin that sat on a hill. The sun had finally set for the day, casting the forest in a cool dark blue as the moon gave off its lunar glow. The windows to the cabin were bright and Nick could make out shadows inside as mammals moved about and enjoyed the festivities.

"He would still be a ranger if it wasn't for me," Nick admitted. Normally he would have kept the idea to himself, lately though he had been a bit more open about what he was thinking, especially with Judy.

"Don't you dare think that Nick," Judy said firmly as she literally hopped right in front of Nick, causing the surprised fox to nearly drop the small package he had looped under his arm. For someone so small Judy always managed to find a way to make even Nick falter when she wanted him to. It was one of the reasons he had fallen for her. "We have been over this so many times. He wanted to retire, saving your job was just icing on the cake."

"Carrot Cake?" Nick asked with a sly smirk, a bit of his cheesy self returning.

"With blueberries on top," Judy said with a wink.

The fox and bunny couple continued towards the cabin. Nick taking in his surroundings, noticing a small circle in the soil near the cabin, a flagpole standing resolute in the center. Though there was no flag currently flying Nick could imagine which one was raised daily.

 _I am not coming over to this cabin at the break of dawn to raise this flag too._

They finally made it onto the worn wooden porch, a few rocking chairs sitting to the side of the main door.

"Ready?" Judy asked as she reached towards the green door that stood before them.

"As I'll ever be," Nick said with a sigh.

On the second knock something strange happened. Or normal depending on how long one had been exposed to a certain blue-eyed ranger and her silliness.

The door opened suddenly and a brown paw reached out and grabbed Judy by the wrist. All Judy could do was let out a surprised squeak as she was quickly pulled inside the cabin only to have the door slam behind her, leaving Nick alone on the porch.

It took a moment or two for Nick to process what he had just witnessed, it had happened rather swiftly after all. The fox stood for a moment before he heard muffled voices behind the door.

"You did not just leave him standing there on the porch did you!?" Nick recognized the voice as Chris's and he winced slightly.

"Why not, I got what I wanted," Came Trisha who Nick could tell was most likely grinning as she squeezed Nick's bunny close.

A second later the door opened once more, only this time it was held open so Nick could enter. Standing in the threshold was the old wolf of the hour. Chris Wolfard was a fit-looking wolf for his age. Or at least he had been. Nick had noticed how quickly age seemed to catch up with the predator standing before him. His normally tall and serious stature had been replaced with a kind of stiff and worn demeanor as if his body knew the wolf was finally able to rest.

"Well if it isn't the new model," Chris said with a chuckle as he reached out and put a strong paw on Nick's shoulder. "Come in son."

"Hey Chris," Nick said with a smirk as he allowed himself to be led inside. "Thanks again for inviting Judy and….me…"

Nick trailed off as he spotted Judy who was currently standing nearby, a certain brown furred trouble maker was rubbing her head underneath Judy's chin and letting out a pleased purring noise.

"Of course, woudn't be a party without you two," Chris said with a chuckle as he gave Nick a pat on the back.

"Listen, Chris," Nick began as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free paw. He looked down at the gift he had brought the old wolf but he suddenly felt like it wasn't nearly enough to thank Chris for everything. "I just...I really don't know what to say about this."

"Say thanks," Chris said firmly.

"Thanks," Nick began, he wanted to say more but Chris cut him off.

"And its as simple as that," Chris said as he gave Nick's shoulder a squeeze. "Listen here Ranger. I don't know why you are feeling guilty and don't try to deny it, I can tell."

Nick simply nodded and let out a sigh.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about. The sun has set on my time in the forest. The way I see it I should be thanking you because now I can rest easy knowing that someone else has taken up the torch."

"And what about the rest of us huh?" Trisha asked as she finally released Judy and stared up at Chris.

"Let's face it Trisha, if someone handed you a torch you would probably set something on fire."

Trisha held up a paw but remained silent before shrugging, "I see your point." She then looked up at Nick as a mischevious grin formed on her lips.

"Oh gosh," Nick let out as he tossed the small package he had been carrying at Chris who caught it just as Trisha propelled herself at the fox.

Nick managed to turn just in time and open his arms as Trisha wrapped herself around the vulpine, nuzzling her face into his shoulder.

Judy giggled at the sight but fell silent as she stared at her two dearest friends. The way Trisha closed her eyes and nuzzled against Nick warmed the doe's heart. To know her best friend and her fox got along so well meant the world to Judy.

"Now what is this?" Chris asked, bringing the group's attention back onto the old wolf.

During all the commotion the brown paper that had been wrapped around the package had ripped and revealed what appeared to be some kind of wooden case's corner.

"Well I guess it was going to be opened sooner or later," Nick mumbled, Trisha still holding onto him even though he had let go of her.

Chris looked up at Nick and then glanced at Judy who gave the wolf an encouraging nod. The retired ranger looked back at the oddly shaped package and gently tore the brown wrapping paper away.

"Oh my gosh, don't tell me," Chris began as he discarded the wrapping and held his gift up so the others could see.

It was a triangular case with one of the parks "Frontier Flags" folded inside of it.

"You recognize her?" Judy asked excitedly as she rolled on the balls of her feet.

Trisha finally released Nick and hurried over to inspect the flag herself, her bright blue eyes going over the case as Chris held it at the doe's level.

"I would say so," Chris said, starting to sound like he was getting a little choked up. "I have been raising her for years now."

"Is this the lodge's flag?" Trisha asked as she ran a paw over the glass that protected the flag.

"Nope," Nick said with a smirk, getting everyone's attention. "It's Chris's flag."

There was a moment of silence before Chris finally spoke up, "Oh gosh Judy this is the one you decided to date?"

"I know right? He has got so much cheesiness about him you would think he was raised on a dairy farm," Trisha joined in.

Nick's eyelids drooped as his fellow rangers sent a few more jabs his way. Judy however simply giggled as she strolled over and gave her fox a hug around the waist.

"I need a drink," Nick grumbled as he looked around for some kind of escape.

"That I can help ya with," Chris said as he put a paw on Nick's shoulder and led him down the hall and into the main living room.

When they made it through the threshold they were greeted by many different yet familiar faces. Nick was shocked just how many mammals could fit inside the cabin, of course, Chris's was a lot larger than Nick and Judy's. Not just because he was a wolf though, apparently he had bought the cabin years ago and had been expanding on it ever since.

"What's up new model?" Delta asked as he raised a beer and nodded towards Nick.

"Trisha tell you to call me that?" Nick groaned.

"Nope," Delta said as he took a swig of beer then nodded towards Chris, "The old-timer did."

"I don't remember telling you that Old Timer was an acceptable nickname for me though," Chris barked as he made his way through the living room.

The painted dog gave a slight shrug and continued with his beer. Sitting next to Delta was someone Nick hadn't seen in ages. Another painted dog, only this one seemed to have a lighter fur tint and pattern than Delta's. A pair of bright yellow eyes would occasionally scan the mammals around the painted dog before they landed on Nick.

Nick gave Atom a curious look before nodding over at Chris.

The other canine seemed to pick up on Nick's signals and retrieved a small wrapped package he had been hiding under a couch cushion.

"Whatcha got there bud?" Delta asked as he watched his fellow painted dog hurry over to Chris who was entering the living room once more, this time carrying a few drinks for the new arrivals.

"Atom!" Chris barked happily then looked at the painted dog with some curiosity as he had what appeared to be another gift coming his way. "Let me get these drinks to Nick and Judy and- oh gosh give me a second."

Atom nodded and his mouth fell open in a grin, his tail swished back and forth excitedly. While he did acknowledge that he had heard Chris it didn't stop him from happily prancing alongside the large wolf, holding the gift so it was practically in Chris's face the whole time.

Nick and Judy chuckled at the painted dog's hijinks as they were handed their drinks.

Chris turned around and found Atom directly behind him, the same goofy yet happy expression on his face.

"Your parents should have named you Shadow," Chris grumbled but smiled nonetheless at his fellow canine.

All eyes in the room went to Chris as he opened up his gift. The wolf tore away the wrapping paper and held what appeared to be a wooden plaque. He ran one of his large paws over the smooth wood and fell silent as he read what was on the plaque.

"What's it say?" Asked one of the guests in the back of the room.

"It's a flag plaque," Chris said with a grin.

"Flag plaque?"

"Oh I swear you, youngsters," Chris said as he rolled his eyes. He scooped up the flag that Nick and Judy had brought and held it up for all to see. "Tells folks where this beautiful thing flew and for how long."

"Tell him where ya got the wood," Delta said with a smirk.

Atom nearly jumped off the ground with excitement as he began to make a series of paw signs.

Nick remembered that Atom was a mute, having lost his voice long ago. It didn't stop him from trying to say hello to every mammal he saw though. The only problem is he didn't use a standard paw language. Apparently, over the years he had developed one that only Delta seemed to understand which made the scene that much more amusing as Atom looked as if he was giving some kind of long and heartfelt explanation about the plaque.

When Atom finished all eyes went to Delta who was sipping on his beer. He lowered the bottle before speaking, "Got it from a door."

Atom's ears flicked and he slowly looked over at Delta. It was rather entertaining to see Atom look so annoyed, he must have said a great deal more than that but apparently his translator had dropped the ball a bit.

"A nice door," Delta added.

The rest of the party was a joyous occasion even though it was a kind of farewell party for Chris. The wolf had announced that he had decided to take his son up on his offer to move into the city. Wolfard planned to sell his rather large and well-furnished cabin and move in with his son who was wanting to look after the old wolf. Chris insisted he was doing it to help his son finally find a lady friend and settle down, hoping to maybe have grandpups he could spoil rotten one day.

"Thing is my son isn't exactly Casanova," Chris would explain. "Paw in mouth when it comes to talking to pretty ladies."

"Not like you of course," Trisha said in a sultry manner.

"Darling when you have looks like mine-" Chris began.

"You get a lot of pity dates," A tigress teased as she scooted by the couch.

The mammals around the seating area all burst into laughter, Chris included.

Judy and Nick shared a cushioned chair near the guest of honor, Judy resting her head against her fox as they both listened to Chris reminisce about the old days. Nick's attention, however, went to Delta and Atom who seemed to be having a bit of an argument, or at least the equivalent of one.

"I said it was a nice door buddy," Delta said defensively as Atom signed furiously. "I know you worked very hard on it. It came out great bud and Chris loves it….wait...slow down I can't understand you when your shouting."

Atom waved his paws about and continued.

"Oh its from the door to the old Ranger office? Well, that was a nice door so I was kind of right," Delta said with a chuckle before giving his friend a wink.

Atom let out a snort followed by a sigh, looking around defeatedly.

"I know what will cheer you up," Delta said as he patted his friend on the back and led him away, "Let's go raid Chris's fridge, bet he has some ice cream or something that needs eating."

Atom's tail began to swish back and forth and he hurried off towards the kitchen.

"Gosh forgot just how old you really were," Trisha teased Chris, bringing Nick's attention back to the mammals around him.

"Yeah but still spry," Chris said with a chuckle, swatting the jab away as he took a sip from his glass. "Of course while the past is fun to talk about," Chris trailed off as he looked over at Nick and Judy. "Would like to know the forest is in good paws."

Judy looked hesitantly at Nick and then back at the wolf.

"I swear not to spread it all over Fairfax," Chris began. "We all know you have been up to something and it deals with the forest's future."

Judy buried her head into Nick's arm, trying to hide.

"Oh no ya don't," Nick said as he moved his arm. "I want to hear this too."

"Wait you don't know either?" Trisha asked as she sat up a little straighter. "Here I was all jealous that she was keeping secrets from me."

Judy stuck her tongue out at Trisha who made a similar gesture, both the does giggling after a moment.

The group fell silent and stared at Judy with waiting expressions.

Judy let out a deep sigh and looked around, knowing full well they weren't going to let this all go.

"Alright," Judy said as she sat up a little straighter and adjusted her shirt so she looked a little more professional. "You all promise not to say anything until the Townhall meeting?"

"Townhall meeting?" Nick asked as he tilted his head and looked down at his bunny.

Judy looked up at her tod with those big beautiful purple eyes of her and smirked, "Don't worry, I am really good at public speaking."

Trisha let out a snort which brought all eyes on the mischevious doe who simply took a sip of her drink and looked away.

A few days later almost half the mammals of Fairfax found themselves squished inside the local Rotary Club hall. The building was used mainly by the local clubs for events like dances, celebrations, and breakfast buffets. The last of which was a ticketed event that Trisha had quickly gotten Nick tickets for in some hopes that he would eventually change his nasty habit of skipping the most important meal of the day.

An ornate wooden stage sat at one end of the large hall. A large white screen sat in the center in front of a beautiful crimson curtain.

Nick was rather impressed with how well the whole hall was maintained. It felt more like an old-timey theater than anything with bits of ornate gold decorations here and there. Across one of the walls were several paintings of the town's founders. Each of them in a different frontier fashion.

The fox let out a soft chuckle, remembering where he had been just a few years before. If the city slicker he was could see the rustic mammal he had become he wondered what the old Nick would say.

"What's so funny Wilde?" Skye asked as she looked at the ranger standing next to her.

"Nothing boss," Nick mumbled.

"You gonna tell me what this is all about now?" The snow-white vixen asked as she crossed her arms and looked out at the sea of different mammals that had gathered in the hall.

Skye hadn't been able to attend Chris's farewell party. Her reasoning was honorable though. She had taken Jen's shift so the moose could go to the party and celebrate her friend's retirement. This meant that she had missed Judy's explanation as to what the bunny had been up to over the past two weeks.

"I could," Nick said as he leaned over so Skye could hear his low tone. "Or you could wait 2 minutes for Judy's presentation."

"Can't believe she is the one presenting," Skye said with a hushed laugh.

Nick raised a brow and looked over at his boss, "Why is that so surprising."

"She got the hiccups last time," Skye said with a wicked grin.

Nick's eyes went wide and his ears suddenly lowered as he looked at the stage where his storm gray bunny was now standing.

Several other mammals noticed Judy had taken to the stage and began to quiet down. All eyes fell on the small bunny in her light green park's department uniform.

Judy took a deep breath and then looked out at the sea of faces.

"First off I want to thank everyone for coming to this presentation," Judy said, her voice echoing through the hall thanks to a small microphone pinned to her shirt.

Nick let out a sigh of relief and nudged Skye, "Seems fine to me."

Skye simply rolled her eyes.

"Tonight I wanted to present to you the Parks Department's plan for handling our minor budget issue."

"Minor? Someone said you will be broke by years end!" Someone shouted.

"Wait broke?! What about the town? Is the town broke too?!"

"Are we about to lose our homes?!"

It was amazing just how quickly a calm crowd could turn into a rowdy one. Mammals began to hoop and holler. Some would toss questions at Judy while others would try and get others riled up.

Nick began to step forward, fire in his eyes, when he felt a firm paw on his shoulder. He looked over at Skye who had a calm expression on her face.

"We have to help her handle this," Nick said in a low growl. He didn't enjoy sitting on the sidelines when Judy needed help.

"Don't worry," Skye said with a smirk as she pulled Nick back so he was leaning against the wall once more.

"Why didn't the parks department handle the fire when it was smaller?! Why didn't you all-"

The wolf that had been shouting fell silent as someone else stepped onto the stage and slowly walked behind Judy and in front of the screen.

Trisha stopped at center stage, tossing a pinecone up and down in the air as she looked directly at the large predator that had just been shouting. The doe was in her standard ranger uniform, her hat was low so the bill almost covered her eyes.

"Thought she wasn't allowed at the meetings anymore?" Someone asked nearby.

Trisha's ears perked up and she looked directly at the hippo who had uttered the words.

"Nice to see you, Ranger Trisha," The hippo said nervously as she waved a large hoof at the bunny whose lips cracked into an evil smile.

Trisha didn't say a word. She simply strolled back to the side of the stage, stopping by Judy and leaning close to the bunny.

No one could hear exactly what Trisha said but Judy's response gave them an idea, "Thanks, just have them at the ready."

Trisha grinned and continued to toss the pinecone up into the air before catching it with her paw. She reached out and gently ran a digit along Judy's shoulders before strutting away off the stage.

"As I was saying," Judy said as she stood tall in front of all the different mammals that had gathered. "It is no secret that the June fire did a lot of damage and cost a lot of money to contain.."

As Nick watched Judy up on stage telling the mammals the plan he had heard at Chris's cabin the fox's mind drifted back to the summer which felt like so very long ago.

-Firewatch Day 32-

 _"How about the Judy fire?"_

 _"Dork!"_

 _"I was just kidding."_

 _"No, you weren't. Which makes it even sweeter…. As much fun as it would be having a fire named after me burning up the forest I think we should name it something else."_

 _"What's your middle name?"_

 _"June..."_

 _"The June fire it is."_

 _"The June fire, I like it."_

 _"The June fire, in July. Sounds about right."_

 _"Oh, hush. You picked the name."_

-Present-day-

"After a lot of brainstorming we finally came up for a solution to this problem," Judy continued as she turned to the large screen on stage which was suddenly illuminated by a sea of bright white, the projector over everyone's heads kicking on with its default blank screen.

The screen went dark for a moment as the first image loaded up on the screen.

The image of a family of smiling and laughing otters filled the screen. The two young otter pups were playing a game of tag, each of them holding a bottle of refreshing looking soda while their parents watched from a picnic blanket. An old wicker straw lunch basket sat next to the parents with several more bottles sticking out.

"Sponsorship," Judy said simply as she looked at the sea of concerned-looking mammals.

Instantly several paws went up, the crowd seemed to be a little more organized when it came to speaking their mind now that a certain brown bunny menace made her presence known.

"Yes, Dan?" Judy asked as she pointed towards a brown bear who slowly stood up and removed his trucker hat and grabbed one of his overall's suspenders.

"This has been brought up before Ms. Judy," the bear said calmly as he looked right at the bunny. "From whats I remembers we decided against such interference. The last thing we want is to sell off our heritage."

Judy let out a sigh and nodded in agreement, "I understand where you are coming from Dan, I do. We at the parks department want to assure you though we aren't looking to sell off the forest-"

"Then explain that nonsense!" Came a shout from the back.

A pinecone whizzed through the air with such speed that most of the crowd missed it. Nick, however, saw the small object fly like a missile and smack a ram in the face, causing the horned mammal to spin around before he caught his balance.

Judy looked over at her shoulder where an angry looking Trisha produced another pinecone from a backpack she had set by her large feet.

The rest of the hall fell silent and did their best to behave. A few laughs, however, could be heard from the gathering.

"As I was saying," Judy said as she collected herself. "We reached out to a few organizations in Zootopia. Something we haven't done in a very long time mind you. Most of them were very receptive to the idea of donations as long as they can make them publicly known."

There was a collective murmur from the crowd before a familiar paw went up.

"Yes, Dan?"

"Well Ms. Judy," The bear said as he removed his hat once more. "That is awfully nice of them but it will cost a lot of money to do what needs to be done correct?"

"That is correct Dan," Judy said with a smile.

"And these companies will just give us the monies like that?"

"Well they will give us some," Judy said with a smile. "You see some companies make so much money that they sometimes need to give some away for tax reasons."

"Wish I had that kind of problem," A weasel said out loud.

All eyes went to the weasel and then to Trisha who simply shrugged, "That one doesn't get a pinecone because I would tend to agree with him."

Nick couldn't help but shake his head as he watched everything play out. He felt a bit of pride as he watched his bunny slowly walk from one end of the stage to the other as she tried to address everyone's concerns.

"We also received a suggestion from one firm we reached out for this that we create a kind of alliance program," Judy explained as she looked back to the screen where another slide appeared.

The title on top of the screen read: Fairfax Forest Alliance.

A few company logos appeared beneath the title.

"The idea is that these companies get public recognition for helping us out here in Fairfax. They can go out and tell everyone in the city about how they helped the forest and the recovery efforts. Let's them brag as it were."

"Tell ya what, doing a good deed is good in itself," An old wolf in a long sleeved red checkered shirt sitting next to Dan grumbled. "Don't know why folks need to go bragging about it."

"True," Judy said with a slight nod towards the wolf. "However in these days its what companies like to do and if it means helping us out then I say we let them."

The crowd let out a murmur of approval as the bunny on stage continued.

"We are also in the process of working with both an advertising company and travel agency in Zootopia to help us revitalize our image for the tourist season."

Dan stood up once more and removed his hat. Judy smiled as she looked at the bear and prepared for the next question.

"Begging your pardons Ms. Judy, but how many city folks are going to want to visit a place they saw on the news covered in flames?"

"Not all of the forest was burned down Dan," Judy pointed out. "By partnering with different ad and travel agencies we can remind mammals we are still here. On top of that one agency was excited as they feel it will be a good opportunity to play to some mammal's sentimental side."

"How so Ms. Judy?" Dan asked as he tilted his large head.

Nick had dealt with many brown bears in his past life in the city, none of them had been so formal and polite before which was completely throwing the fox through a loop.

"Well for one it will convince a lot of mammals to come and revisit us and see the forest that was almost lost for good."

There was a murmur through the crowd, Judy waited for the whispering to subside.

"They also suggested playing on that, telling folks that by visiting us they are helping out in our reconstruction and conservation efforts."

"Tell ya what," The grumpy looking wolf sitting next to Dan spoke up once more. "Don't know how I feel guilt-tripping folks to come to our town. Going on about how if they don't visit we can't plant a tree doesn't feel right."

"I agree Wayne," Judy said with a smile. "Which is why we aren't doing that. We are merely reminding those who are planning on coming that they are helping us, convincing those who are hesitant is all."

Dan sat back down and gave Judy a polite nod as he put his hat back on.

"We have a demo video ready to give you all an idea of what we are planning to show mammals to convince them to visit," Judy began as she stepped to the side of the screen.

As Judy said this there was a sudden jumble of activity in the front row of seats. Nick had to stand on his toes in order to see what was going on.

A certain small bundle of white and black spotted energy began to bounce in her seat. Nick recognized Taco from Lynn's.

Judy beamed at the bunny in the front row before looking at the rest of the crowd, "Our dear Taconny put a video together as a rough demo."

Judy looked back at the screen and a video file appeared. Before Judy pressed play however she glanced back at the crowd, "As a reminder. This is a Taco video."

The screen filled with a majestic stream. The water was so clear and had a refreshing appeal to it.

"Hey!" Taco's bubbly voice suddenly filled the speakers around the hall. "You like nature?! Then get your butt to Fairfax!"

An explosion filled the screen and an image of the forest suddenly appeared.

"We got trees!"

Another explosion lead to a picture of mountains.

"We got mountains!"

The next explosion brought an image of the town of Fairfax on screen.

"We got old town stuff!"

Explosion.

"We got pancakes!"

Another explosion.

"More Pancakes!"

Explosion.

"Pancakes!"

The video continued in the same fashion.

When it finally came to an end there was a great deal of applause for Taco who stood up on her seat and waved excitedly. When everyone finally quieted down Judy took center stage once more.

"Thank you Taconny for that lovely demo of what we can expect to see," Judy said sweetly as she smiled at the bubbly bunny in the front row. The gray doe then cleared her throat only for a loud hiccup to suddenly burst from her lips.

Judy put her paws to her mouth as her ears shot up.

"I won!" Came a shout from the back. "Pay up the lot of ya!"

"See," Skye said smugly as she leaned over to Nick and nodded up to Judy.

"That was so adorable," Nick said as he tried not to laugh too hard.

"As I was saying _*hiccup*_ " Judy tried to continue as the crowd calmed down. "We will have a video like that."

"Maybe less breakfast food," Nick pointed out just loud enough for Judy to hear.

The doe's eyes went wide as her ears shot up. She slowly looked over at Nick and stared, it was only at that moment did Nick realize the whole hall had fallen silent, everyone's eyes were on him. Another hiccup echoed through the hall.

"I mean…" Nick began as he looked around. He glanced at Skye who took a step away from him. "The pancakes were….well...you know? I mean there are other food options besides breakfast."

Nick heard it before he saw it. Something small was flying through the air and from the sounds of it, it was flying right at him.

The fox had just enough time to turn and see the pinecone just inches from his face before it made an impact.

-A few days later-

A small gathering of large green trucks with the park's logo sat parked in the main lodge's parking lot.

Mammals of various shapes and sizes busied themselves with loading the trucks up with supplies and equipment.

While they may have all been different species one thing was the same, they were all in the park department's light green uniform or green coveralls.

Judy stood to the side of one of the large trucks and was looking over a clipboard. An annoyed looking fox was leaning against one of the truck's tires as he looked down at his bunny.

"Just saying Carrots," Nick began as he watched a buffalo waddle past, carrying a large wooden crate. "You should be here to supervise the arrival of all our guests."

Judy's lips curled as she continued to go over her checklist.

"That the only reason, I shouldn't go?"

"Well no," Nick said as he glanced down at his bunny. "You should also stay to make sure the town is ready?"

"Any other reason?"

"Well…"

Someone cleared their throat directly over Nick's head. The fox glanced up to see Trisha hanging upside down over the side of the large truck, a mischevious grin on her lips.

"Tell her you will miss her," Trisha whispered.

Nick looked back at Judy who was trying not to giggle, having heard her brown friend.

"I will miss you," Nick said with a smirk.

"Tell her you could keep her warm at night," Trisha whispered once more.

"You need someone to keep you warm at night."

"Someone to snuggle with," Trisha continued.

"Someone to curl up with on those cold mornings," Nick added his own flair.

"Someone to look at the stars with," Trisha suggested.

Nick couldn't believe he was using Trisha's lines but if helped convince Judy to stay in the central region then so be it.

"Someone to sit under the stars with."

"Well Nick," Judy said with a sigh as she put the clipboard under one of her arms.

Trisha suddenly hopped from the top of the truck and landed right next to Judy, wrapping one of her arms around the gray doe's waist.

"It's a good thing I will be bringing Trisha to help with all that," Judy said with a mischievous smile as Trisha rested her head on the gray doe's shoulder.

"How long were you two planning that?" Nick asked as his eyelids drooped, his voice lowering into an annoyed tone.

"As soon as I found out I was going out of the region with her," Trisha said as she stuck out her tongue.

"Sorry Nick," Judy said, not sounding sorry in the least. "Couldn't help it."

Nick simply rolled his eyes and watched as the other mammals from the parks department finish with their duties.

"Come on now Wilde," Trisha said as she skipped over to her fellow ranger and climbed up onto the tire so she could be eye level with the fox. "It's only for like a week and then you can join us."

"That's if you don't run off with my bunny in that time," Nick said as he looked right into a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Oh I like that idea," Trisha teased as she gave Nick a wink.

The fox let out a sigh which turned into a laugh, "Try not to cause too much trouble out there will ya?"

"Your no fun," Trisha said as she hopped off the tire before skipping away.

"I am sorry about this Nick," Judy said as she took a step forward and grabbed the fox by the paw. "This is really important though and I want to see it through myself."

Nick looked down at his bunny, finding it hard to stay upset when those beautiful purple eyes were staring up at him.

Nick let out another sigh but smiled none the less, "One week right?"

Judy beamed and nodded, "One week. That's it! Then Trisha comes back to get you all and bring you to WeWa."

The plan was really simple even if it would take a while. Judy and several members of the park department were heading out to one of the larger camps that had been abandoned because of the June fire. After surveying what options they had it was decided that Camp WeWa was going to be the easiest to repair.

As it turned out this was a blessing in disguise. WeWa had been one of the larger activity camps in the forest. It sat on a gentle bluff near a river. The river itself led to a beautiful waterfall that fed into a lake where campers could enjoy swimming or canoeing.

The river itself was kind of a hiking activity all its own, having a path run right along the water's edge.

While Judy and her team focused on repairs Trisha would explore the region and make sure it was safe enough to bring their VIP guests from Zootopia.

Once the camp was prepared Trisha would return to the main region to pick up Nick and the others from Zootopia and lead them to the camp where they would get a demo of what Fairfax had to offer.

While this was all happening Nick would stay in the main region and act as a kind of tour guide/ personal ranger to the visitors.

He had wanted to go with Judy and the others but he had only been trained in the main region and their leader Jack felt Nick wasn't exactly ready for the farther areas which could present certain challenges.

Nick, however, would still be doing his part in all this though which he was grateful for. Sure there were other rangers more experienced than him but he wanted to be involved with Judy's project.

Trisha had managed to convince Jack that this was a perfect opportunity for Nick to learn about some of the outer regions which was why he would be heading to Camp WeWa with the rest of the group in a week or so.

This did mean though that he would be away from Judy for a bit. Which while somewhat annoying was also a little bit exciting. Mainly because Judy had reminded Nick of how they met in the first place.

"So got your trusty radio?" Judy asked as she unclipped hers from her belt.

"Never leave the cabin without it," Nick said as he held up his own.

There was a gagging noise nearby and both of them looked at Trisha who stuck out her tongue.

"They still in the gross phase?" Delta asked as he walked around one of the trucks and put a paw on top of Trisha's head between the doe's black-tipped ears.

"Its Wilde," Trisha said as she looked up at her mate. "So it will always be in the gross phase."

Delta and Trisha shared a laugh before the doe climbed up into her painted ranger's arms.

"You promise to stay out of trouble right?" Delta asked Trisha which got an annoyed groan from the bunny.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because it's you," Delta pointed out.

As the painted dog and bunny bid their farewells Judy took a step closer to Nick, a nervous look on her face.

"Just remember whatever they need…" Judy began.

"I will make sure they get," Nick finished his bunny's sentence.

"I know you arent some butler but this is important Nick."

"I know Carrots, don't worry," Nick said as he put a paw under the doe's chin and raised it up so he could look into her eyes. "I know how this stuff works. Keep them happy, save the parks, it's easy."

He didn't want to admit it but he was somewhat thankful for his hustling past. His ability to read mammals was going to be key for the next few days.

While Judy had painted a positive-sounding picture for the mammals of Fairfax she hadn't told them everything.

The funds they were receiving, while helpful, hadn't been 100% guaranteed. While most of the companies had been eager to help some of the larger donations had some strings attached.

To make sure that they weren't just tossing their money away to a lost cause some of the larger companies wanted to send out some mammals to asses the situation. Some would be company auditors, ensuring that the Fairfax parks department wasn't just tossing money around.

Others would be travel agents who would be there to see if folks would actually want to travel to Fairfax and the surrounding forests to make sure that it wasn't just some backwater town with nothing to offer visitors.

That was why the parks department was pulling out all the stops.

They would repair Camp WeWa, they would show off the town, they would secure the funds they needed and then….

That was always the part that brought Nick to pause. Once this was all said and done what would be next?

The answer always came rather quickly.

Judy would be next…

At first, he hadn't been exactly sure what that meant but as the days turned into weeks with this bunny from the Thorofare Tower he began to have an idea.

As the last of the preparations were completed for the convoy's departure Nick stared into Judy's eyes. One of his digits gently rubbing the fur underneath her chin which caused the doe to chitter with happiness, her eyes slowly closing.

 _She doesn't know what this even means...but does it matter?_

The fox continued to gently run a paw through the fur right on Judy's chin. To foxes, this was a kind of step towards something greater. It was his way of asking permission before the next step.

"Just kiss already!" Trisha shouted from somewhere nearby.

Judy let out a snort opened her eyes, glancing over at her friend who was waiting nearby. Judy then glanced at Nick who smiled as he leaned down.

While the first few times had been a bit awkward the two had practiced their kissing so much it looked as if they were made for one another.

Judy placed her paws on Nick's cheeks and held him close to her for a moment or two before their lips parted. She gently pressed her head against Nick's muzzle and let out a sigh.

"One week and then we will be back in one another's arms," The doe whispered.

"You bunnies," Nick began which caused Judy to laugh slightly, knowing full well what was next. "So emotional."

They all said their goodbyes. Trisha hurrying over to Nick and wrapping her arms around her waist as she leaned against him.

"Behave yourself," Trisha said as she looked up at Nick.

"Was about to say the same to you," Nick said as he patted the doe on the back.

"I promise not to run off with her," The doe said with a wink. "As long as you promise not to run off with my painted plaything."

Nick looked over at Delta who was chatting with Judy, reassuring the doe that they would make sure everyone enjoyed themselves when they arrived.

"No promises," Nick said which earned a laugh from Trisha.

Joking aside he trusted Trisha would take care of Judy and look after the bunny. Sure Judy had been in this place far longer than Nick. It just felt odd to be letting Judy wander on her own though.

Knowing that a certain pinecone hurling ranger was out there protecting Judy made Nick feel a little better about all this.

Everyone hopped into the trucks loaded with supplies and equipment as they prepared to head out.

As the convoy of trucks pulled out of the parking lot Delta stood next to Nick. Both canines waving at the departing vehicles.

"Ready to save the forest?" Delta asked with a chuckle as they spotted Judy and Trisha hanging out the side of one of the trucks, both does waving frantically at their rangers.

"I mean I already saved it once," Nick pointed out. "Two times if you count the nudists."

"The what?" Delta asked as he looked over at Nick, a look of surprise on his muzzle.

As the days went by and the deadline for the arrival of all the out of towners came closer Nick felt like he was watching everyone prepare for some kind of great event.

While most of the shop owners in town prided themselves on maintaining a clean yet rustic looking burg it felt like they were kicking it into high gear over the past few days.

Even Lynn had gotten into the spirit. She and Taco had taken down all the pictures that hung on the wall of the local restaurant only to put them back up in new wooden frames. Delta and Nick couldn't help but let out some whistles when the older wolf put up the picture of her when she was a ranger, causing Lynn to blush furiously and slap both of them on the arm.

When Nick commented on the fresh new feel Lynn just let out a sigh, "Let's face it, with how you lot love breakfast I have a feeling that these out of towners will end up here. Best keep up with the rest of the town."

While everyone would have preferred it if the mammals from Zootopia had arrived all at once it sadly wasn't the case. Some had elected to drive to Fairfax in hopes of having their own transportation to get around the sleepy town. Others had booked tickets on the train that arrived in the town center at the old train station.

Nick sadly had other duties to attend to so he wasn't present for the bulk of arrivals. He felt a little disappointed with this because he had heard that the Fairfax Historical Society had dusted off one of the old steam engines and brought her out and put her on display on one of the tracks next to the station.

The ranger wasn't exactly going to be missing out on all the fanfare though. He had been given the responsibility of assisting the parks department with looking after some of the very important mammals from Zootopia. There would be the auditors and one or two travel agents from some high-end firms.

These were the mammals that needed to be impressed the most if Judy's plan was to succeed.

Nick wouldn't be alone in this task though. Lily, the raccoon from the lodge's reception center, had been tasked to help along with several others from various branches of the department.

The raccoon was still dressed rather formally, wearing a black business suit jacket and matching skirt. Nick was rather amused sometimes watching her work. The way she seemed to glide around the room, adjusting things here and there to ensure everything was perfect. It reminded Nick of a butler who was expecting her employer's arrival at some kind of fancy mansion.

She didn't hesitate to walk up to Nick on occasion and reach up to fix his color, giving him a friendly smile as she made sure the fox looked presentable.

"Thanks, Lil," Nick said as he stood up straighter.

"Of course Ranger Wilde," The raccoon said as she ran her paws down either of the fox's arms and helped straighten the cuffs at the end of his long sleeves. "I am sure Judy would be doing the same thing right now."

"Only to have Trisha come over and undo a button."

Lily chuckled politely at the comment, "Ranger Rose does have a way of leaving her mark doesn't she?"

"Lots of them."

Lily took a step back and inspected the handsome looking tod. Nick had dressed to impress today, going with his long-sleeved lodge ranger uniform. He had left the jacket behind along with the hat, feeling it made him look goofy more than anything.

A phone at Lily's desk rang and the raccoon quickly strode over before clearing her throat and answering the phone.

"Conference reception," Lily spoke in a professional tone.

There was a moment of silence as she listened.

"Very good, we will be there shortly," Lily said as she looked at Nick and gave him a nod.

Nick took a moment to reach down and key up his radio that was connected to Judy, "Hey there Campers."

It took a moment or two for a response but Judy's lovely voice soon filled the airways, "Why Ranger Wilde, it is good to hear from you."

"Ranger Wilde? Really?"

"Sorry Two Forks, couldn't help it."

"Yes you can," Nick pointed out. "You just enjoy saying it is all."

"This is true."

"How goes the camp preparation?"

"Well, we got lucky for the most part. The camp wasn't in too bad of shape and the roads were easy for our teams to clear up. The fire didn't get close to this region but there is still some ash here and there, probably brought in by the winds."

"Speaking of which did you get the reports from Alice?" Nick asked, remembering that morning's briefing from Skye. Apparently, Fairfax was overdue for some rain and from the looks of it mother nature planned to catch up as it were.

"Ugh yeah….I swear if it just rains the whole time company is here it's gonna be a hard sell."

"Don't worry Carrots," Nick said with a toothy grin as he and Lily headed for the main lobby of the lodge, "We will pull this off."

"I hope so Nick, I really do."

"Well if you excuse me Lil and I are on our way to wine and dine the first of your VIMs," Nick said huskily. "Looks like it's going to be all fancy dinners and nature walks here. Tell Trisha to enjoy her rations and sleeping bag."

"You are just asking to get pineconed again aren't you," Judy chuckled.

Nick turned a corner and found himself in the spacious lobby of the lodge. There were a few mammals here and there. Some of them checking in while others enjoyed the amenities of the lobby.

Lily led Nick who was only half paying attention as they made their way to the front desk.

"I think I am getting better at dodging them," Nick suggested.

"The welt on the side of your head from the presentation the other night says otherwise," Judy shot back.

Nick rolled his eyes, "Lucky shot." As they approached the main reception area Nick took in the mammals waiting there, sizing each of them up.

His skills as a hustler had already given him a few ideas on how to handle the star-struck armadillo who had a camera in paw and was snapping pictures of all the lobby's furnishings.

 _We will take that one to the thunder mining camp, lots of photos to be taken there._

A koala in a nice looking suit was rummaging through his bag. Nick noticed a tear on one of the sleeves and smirked.

 _Think I know a tailor that could help you out bud._

He then looked at the fox vixen who was just finishing up a conversation with the moose behind the reception desk.

When she turned the smile on her face….

Her eyes…

That…..that scent….

It couldn't be.

It wasn't possible.

She had left.

Nick froze. His mind going completely blank. He stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes met hers.

… _.Debbie…._

* * *

 **Hey there Rangers,**

 **Sorry, it's taken so long for an update. I moved to a new place recently and wouldn't ya know it...internet hadn't been set up yet. Took over a month to get that finally fixed. Add on top of that for certifications for my job, and just life in general and you had one busy lighthouse over here.**

 **I know this story has been a bit of a slow burn. To be honest it was kinda getting to me too. But I didn't want to rush anything just to get to the drama. Which from the looks of it we are about to get a ton of.**

 **Thanks to my bud _Fox in the hen house_ for helping me with this chapter. Always appreciate the help partner. **

**Plug time!**

 _ **J Shute Norway**_ **has been writing a super fun crossover featuring characters from Fantastic Mr. Fox, Aggretsuko, and Zootopia. The story is called _Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia._ They have also written a kind of one-shot and drabble story which is where things get really fun because a certain pinecone wielding bunny makes a cameo as she helps Judy in a game of whack bat. It was a riot to work with them on that chapter. they are writing some really fun stuff so please go check out that story and tell them Blue sent ya :P **

**Hope to have more work done for you all soon.**

 **Pinecone!**

 **-Blue**


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